The Legend of Fairy Tail
by SolanaLeonhart
Summary: (Request by sketchywolf) At a point, Riku Starlight never thought things would look up. After losing his family at a young age and all the hard times afterwards, he finds friends in a most unlikely of places. This would eventually lead to finding a certain famous guild, its name is Fairy Tail.
1. Chapter 1

_Well, my drive for writing Fairy Tail fanfiction had been gone for quite a while. But this has been a project in the works ever since sketchywolf asked me to try doing it. Since I promised I'd try, here we are. It was surprisingly fun the end, I hope you like it._

* * *

A teenage girl with blond hair and brown eyes heaved a sigh as she walked down a street. Accompanying her was a boy her age with pink hair and dark green eyes and next to him a small blue cat.

The three were members of the town's sole guild, Fairy Tail. The girl was Lucy, who had only joined the other day when she met her companions, Natsu and Happy the cat.

Lucy had been pleasantly surprised when Natsu and Happy decided to make a team with her and go on a job. That only lasted until she found out their trick, as the job specifically required a blonde girl, which left her rather irked. But since she'd already agreed and the job would offer some pay and experience, she went for it.

They'd had a...unique day to say the least.

''You guys really do take things too far,'' she huffed.

''You really have a long way to go if this kind of thing freaks you out, Lucy.'' Happy stated.

''That's not what I meant, you stupid cat! There was no need to tear down the mansion, we could have been hurt if we hadn't been as fast as we were!''

''Well, tell that to Natsu.''

''Hey, it's not like I meant for that to happen!'' The teen retorted defensively.

''That's what you said about Hargeon too.'' Lucy reminded flatly. Why did she get the feeling that this was just par for the course for those two?

''He says that all the time.'' Happy informed.

''Why am I not surprised?'' The girl sighed.

They were coming up close to the guild hall, which was when they spotted a pair of individuals near the gate. The first caught Lucy by surprise, as it was a cat around Happy's height. But it was clearly female, with soft purple fur and bright hazel eyes. She wore a white and pink shirt along black pants and pink shoes. Lucy thought she was absolutely adorable.

Accompanying her was a young man with dark brown hair and blue eyes, he wore a blue green shirt with yellow lining, grey pants as well as black boots. They couldn't hear some of the exchange but the cat was talking animatedly to the young man, who was listening with a bemused look.

Natsu grinned ''Hey, guys!''

The duo paused in their surprise and followed the voice to its source, soon noticing the three of them. The cat perked up while her friend smiled upon seeing them as the first spoke up ''Oh hi, we didn't know you were back. So you guys took that weird job after all?''

''What's weird about it?'' Happy blinked.

''Happy, it offers over a hundred thousand for getting rid of a book. How is that not weird?''

''Oh. Good point.''

''Ah, we worked it out.'' Natsu waved a dismissive hand.

Lucy rolled her eyes but it was clear that the two were used to this kind of behavior as they took it in stride. The cat then went on ''So who's that? Mira said something about a newcomer...''

''That'd be Lucy, we made a team with her.'' Happy informed.

Natsu looked at the blonde ''Those are our friends, she's Belle and he's Riku, Riku Starlight.''

She smiled at the two, who did the same in return ''I didn't think I'd see another cat like Happy, you're a lot cuter in every way though.''

''Hey!'' Happy huffed as Belle laughed.

Natsu snickered ''Come on, let's go in.''

* * *

Lucy finished telling the duo about their job, in which their client wanted them to destroy a book held by Duke Everlue. Things had really gone out of hand when they tried to stop him and in the end, they hadn't done it as the book had actually been written for their client in the first place so they left it with him.

There was one thing Belle wanted to know at the moment ''...You mean they seriously just roped you into it because they wanted you to be a maid?''

''Yes!'' Lucy found Belle's exasperation on her behalf gratifying. Riku, while he had yet to say anything, merely gave her teammates a look that proved he felt the same way. ''The whole thing was so stupid! Those maids were ridiculously ugly. And we couldn't even get any money in the end.''

''We didn't exactly do the job, you know.'' Happy reminded.

''No, I get it. That's not what I was getting at...'' It had bothered her at the time but Lucy could see that Natsu and Happy were principled and so they could never take the money under those circumstances. And it did feel nice to help Kaby Melon settle things in the end so she supposed that was fine.

She was about to go on but then spotted a chair flying their way, leaving her to yelp as she ducked. Natsu quickly stepped sideways as the chair almost hit him a second later. ''Who threw that?!''

Before they quite knew it, he had rushed to where a number of their guild mates were gathered and things eventually lead to another brawl.

''Here we go again...'' Happy trailed off.

''How'd that even happen so fast?'' Lucy blinked.

''You learn to stop asking after a while.'' Belle informed dryly.

''...You two are really, really used to this chaos, huh?'' She received two nods from the cats in response and it just made her conclude that bizarre as it was for her, this may be normal for Fairy Tail.

''Anyway...'' She looked at Riku. ''...I've been wondering-you don't talk much, huh?''

Riku blinked, seemingly realizing something then before. He touched his throat before looking back at her and shaking his head.

''Wait...'' Did he mean...? ''...you can't?''

He nodded and Happy elaborated ''Riku lost his voice after a battle a few years ago. We've been using sign language to talk.''

''I see...well, it won't be a problem. I studied up on sign language when I didn't have much to do back home. I'm a little rusty but I think I remember most of it well.'' Lucy admitted. Riku gave a small smile at this. ''So what kind of magic do you two use? I'm guessing Belle can fly like Happy, at least...?''

''In a way, he's a lot faster than me.'' The cat in question admitted. ''But I learned to use wind and light magic. Riku and I are learning staff magic from a friend too.''

''That's impressive.''

Belle just shrugged ''Not really, I followed Riku's example.''

Lucy was about to ask what magic the brunet used, only to be surprised when he suddenly stood and raised a hand. A dark purple magic circle manifested, creating a black and purple portal that opened up to swallow a small table that had been sent flying in their direction in the midst of all the chaos from the brawl.

Happy looked relieved ''Thanks, nice reflexes.''

Riku made a few signs with his hand, which the cat knew meant 'Don't worry about it.'

''I've never seen magic like that before...'' Lucy stared.

''That's understandable, Riku's a Darkness Dragon Slayer.'' Belle explained, surprising the girl. Dragon Slayer magic was a Lost magic after all so users were exceedingly rare. To think there were two in the guild...

Something about that rang a bell for Lucy, who began to think. She barely noticed a girl with sable brown hair and violet eyes approaching them and pausing to talk to Riku, having only spoken to her in passing before. This was Cana Alberona.

''I'll say it again, that's one handy spell.'' She remarked, bemused. ''Lucky for us you don't get into those brawls if you can help it. Though I guess Master might actually be glad if you did, you'd kick a whole lot of ass and wrap things up real easy.''

Riku spared her a dry look 'Now you're just pushing it...'

''Hey wait, now I remember...'' The two looked curiously at Lucy.

The girl had wanted to enter Fairy Tail for a long time and she came to learn a bunch about the famous members. Like Salamander and Titania. There was another name that rose to prominence a while back. The reputation of that one matched with Riku a lot.

''...You're Bahamut, I heard about you before.'' She admitted. Bahamut, at first known as Dark Scale, was a powerful mage known for his skill and resourcefulness, using rare darkness magic as well as his other abilities in various effective ways.

'That's what people have taken to calling me.' Riku returned. He never really paid attention to his growing fame so he was surprised that Lucy figured it out.

''Word really spread out about this guy, huh?'' Cana looked amused.

Lucy nodded, now she understood what Belle was getting at before ''I heard he used more than darkness magic before...you must really train hard if Belle's anything to go by.''

'There's not much to it, I just decided to make the most of what I have.' Riku said simply. Yes, he had worked hard to get as far as he had but that was it. There was another reason that started and things had just led to making that decision. It didn't make him anything special.

Soon enough, after having to avoid a few of the barrels, the brawl was forcefully put to a stop when a short old man with white hair and dark eyes, their guild master Makarov Dreyar, soon got fed up and beat most of the fighters up in seconds.

Lucy winced ''That looked like it really hurt...''

Cana snorted ''Please, they'll brush it off in no time as always.''

''Aye Sir, and before you know it, they'll be fighting again.'' Happy deadpanned. The best thing you could say about all this was that their resilience was admirable.

* * *

''Gah...'' A boy with black hair and dark grey eyes winced as he walked with a couple another boy nearby. This was Gray Fullbuster. ''...did Gramps have to take it that far?''

''Suck it up, Master's a real Man!'' The muscled, tanned skin white haired boy besides him stated. He was Elfman Strauss.

Gray rolled his eyes but chose not to respond. He paused as Elfman let out a sound of surprise ''Oh, Riku, Belle, I didn't know you were back already.''

Gray blinked and followed his line of sight to see the duo in question looking at them. Riku gave a small wave while Belle half-smiled ''Well, the client was pretty helpful so we got around to dealing with the monsters real easy. It was good that Riku learned to use runes too.''

''I'll bet, you two never seem to run out of tricks.'' Gray remarked.

''That's where all our training comes in handy.''

''Totally, you two are Manly! You could've joined us before.'' Elfman said.

''No, thanks.'' Belle returned while Riku spared him a flat look that proved he agreed with her.

'I'm fine if you want to get back to the usual training but that's that.' Riku stated.

''Figured as much.'' Gray nodded. After all, this wasn't the first time this topic came up. Riku had made it clear over the years that he had absolutely no interest in the guild's fights.

Natsu had idiotically tried forcing him to fight at one point and the attempts had gotten on the brunet's nerves. In the end, he put paid to them by taking advantage of his magic's adaptable nature and Natsu's severe motion sickness to trap him and spin him around until he was too dizzy to do anything. That was also around the time he proved that while he could be pretty patient, Riku could be scary when angered.

Riku and Elfman had been training together for quite a while, which was a big part of the reason why gained the muscular build he had now. While both had awkward beginnings at the guild, they came to be friends after Riku stood up for Elfman when people tried to bully him and things got better from there. Looking at them now, Gray could hardly believe they were the same kids he grew up around. They really had come a long way.

The group of four headed near the counter and got some drinks, sitting near Lucy, Cana, Makarov and Elfman's sister Mirajane, who was busy working there. The beautiful white haired girl greeted them with a smile, her blue eyes bright as usual.

''Oh, so that's why Macao was whining about Natsu burning him before?'' They heard Cana ask.

''Natsu did go over the top but with the way things were, there wasn't much of a choice.'' Lucy explained, referring to the incident where she and her team had to go save Macao at Mount Hakobe.

''He doesn't mean it, he usually just vents a lot when he's drunk.'' Mira remarked.

''Still sounds like whining to me.''

'Are you really complaining? Wasn't that the reason you got him for some blackmail that one time?' Riku recalled. Cana merely smirked at the memory.

Makarov chuckled ''Oh yeah, I remember that. It must have been bad, Macao didn't drink for almost a week after that.''

''...Do I want to know?'' Lucy asked Mira quietly.

''She was getting him back after he screwed up and got her in trouble when they took a job together last time.''

''Oh.'' Well, she supposed that was all right. At least she had a reason...

''So how's the progress with those notes?'' Makarov asked Belle.

''We're doing good! Riku and I had a good handle on the spells he showed us so far.''

The man's face lit up as he smiled at the duo ''That's great news, I'm sure he'd be glad to hear it.''

''Yeah, you two work hard and it really shows.'' Mira beamed.

'Thanks.' Riku returned while Belle smiled brightly. 'We've gotten the basics down but we'd have to wait and see what he wants to do next.'

''I still don't get how you got him of all people to help your training.'' Elfman admitted. ''Actually, I can't even imagine how that training would go, since it's him and all...''

''He's not that bad...'' Belle started.

Riku nodded, noting Lucy's curious look he added 'We're talking about a friend, the one who's teaching us staff magic. He's...really kind of a recluse but over all, he's a good person. He helps with our training too, so Belle got the idea to ask about teaching and he said it was okay.'

''Ah, I see, that was nice of him.''

''Yeah, it took us by surprise too but he turned out to be a pretty nice for all that he kept away from everyone.'' Cana added. ''He's usually off to do this own thing but at least he's gotten a bit better about talking to the rest of us.''

''I remember when he used that sleep magic just to come in and pick up jobs.'' Elfman shook his head. Lucy raised an eye, thinking that seemed extreme. ''But somehow, those two actually got him to relax a little and actually talk to the rest of us. He'd be real Manly if he could just ease up.''

''...Somehow, that sounds rich coming from you.'' Gray deadpanned. ''But I see what you're getting at...''

''Well, baby steps, right?'' Mira smiled. ''Progress is progress, after all.''

''Absolutely.'' Makarov agreed. ''Just give the boy some space, he hasn't even told me everything but I'm sure he has his reasons for what he does.''

* * *

Later, Riku and Belle decided to head home. They wound up running into Natsu and Happy when they passed the market, with the latter having gotten a big fish.

''So...good...'' He sighed blissfully, blinking upon noticing them. ''...oh, hi guys! We were looking to get dinner.''

''I thought you'd just eat at the guild.'' Belle said.

''Well, I heard they got a new shipment of fish today so I wanted to give it a shot. Besides, something had to change.'' Happy added, leaving them curious. ''The last two times we ate at the guild, Natsu got my fish all burned up!''

Natsu frowned ''Are you still holding that over my head? I thought they'd be better cooked. Besides, the second time was an accident because that stupid Snowflake pissed me off!''

''It shouldn't have happened in the first place if you'd just control your fire!''

''...He does remember who he's talking to, right?'' Belle said to Riku while the two continued to argue before them. Natsu's lack of restraint was one of his most notorious traits after all.

Riku merely shook his head 'When they get like this, it's just best to leave them be and spare yourself the trouble.'

''True. How about we check if there's anything we need for home?''

And so the two went about picking up a few groceries, when they were done, they found that Natsu and Happy had caught up to them.

''So anyway, I never got around to asking, you two wanna go on a job together soon? It's been a while since the last time.'' Natsu said.

'Sure, why not?' Riku returned.

''Awesome!''

Happy was about to agree but then he happened to notice a few of the things in the bag Belle was holding ''...Fruits again? How do you not get tired of this stuff, especially when fish is so much better?''

The female cat groaned ''...I'm not doing this with you again. Drop it.''

Natsu and Riku exchanged dry looks.

''...How many times does this make now?''

'I lost count.'

Happy was crazy about fish while Belle liked fruits and for some reason, the former was determined to show the latter that she was missing out in his belief. It used to lead to an argument every now and then but now Belle just seemed to deem it better to tune him out, to general relief.

The two groups continued talking along the way until Riku and Belle approached the street leading to their home and bid their guild mates goodbye.

Riku found himself reflecting again, there were times when he'd never thought his life would turn out like this. That he'd be find friends, family and a home again. And while some of Fairy Tail's really did annoy him, the guild was still a place where he felt like he truly belonged. And he wouldn't change that for the world.

* * *

_To clarify some stuff, Riku lost his voice because of an incident a few years back and it lead to changing a few things in the guild. I'm going to explain just what happened down the line. Also, as mentioned above he and Belle train hard and he knows more than Dragon Slayer magic. That started out because of a different reason but they're now making the most of their abilities. This one's also going to be revealed but it has to do with how Elfman's one of his usual training buddies. _

_Yup, they're friends with Mystogan. He's...well, I can't say relaxed but he's more open to everyone here thanks to Riku, Belle and Makarov. While they don't mind working with their guild mates in general, Mystogan became one of their usual partners, same goes for Erza._

_How was it? Please tell me what you think. _


	2. Chapter 2

Riku woke up early the next day and prepared himself for the coming day before heading to the kitchen, intending to make breakfast for himself and Belle.

They lived in a small but cozy home with two rooms, it had been something that happened by chance. The house had actually been in quite a run-down state years ago but Riku had been among those who worked hardest to fix it up with the help of a few others. The original owner wound up having to leave to catch up with his family in Bosco and since everyone involved had their home situation settled when their project was finished, the owner gave the house to Riku.

It had been an unexpected but very welcome boon, if anything the end result made the place feel even more like a home.

Belle arrived just as he was finishing up, bidding him good morning to which he responded in kind before they sat down to eat.

The cat hummed happily as she downed a helping of fruit ''I can't believe Happy's still trying to convince me that fish is so much better.''

'Hey, we've been through this. You know how to handle that...'

''Yeah, yeah, just tune him out so he gets it out of his system.'' Belle finished for him, for given how often it happened, this had been something they talked about before. ''But it's still annoying so I reserve the right to vent.''

'Fair enough.' Riku conceded.

Belle moved things along ''Anyway, you up for taking a job today?''

'Sure, let's see what we find.'

* * *

But when the two arrived at the guild, they found that something had to be off. Why? It was just too quiet.

Now Fairy Tail was one of the most lively, if not the liveliest place in town. So any time with some peace and quiet around was much appreciated and even enjoyable to some but there were times when it was just unnatural. It wasn't even because of a lack of members, no, many were present. They just seemed so tense and apprehensive that it made one wonder just what on earth went down today.

Belle was really beginning to get worried with the state of things, fearing something bad may have happened.

She was even more confused when Mira smiled upon seeing them approaching ''Good morning!''

''Morning Mira...what's going on with everyone? This is really weird.'' Belle stated, Riku nodded, giving her a puzzled look.

''That's because...''

''Oh Riku, Belle.''

The two started at the familiar voice seeing a woman clad in a knight-like ensemble. She wore a breastplate with armor for her arms and legs, along with a blue skirt and boots. Her long scarlet red hair stood out particularly as her brown eyes were warm as she smiled at them.

''Erza!'' Belle flew up to her.

This was Erza Scarlet, one of Riku's oldest friends. She was also among the guild's S-class mages and among the most famous, known as Titania, the Fairy Queen.

Riku smiled 'Good to see you.'

''Likewise.'' She returned, sitting down next to him.

He looked at Mira 'I'm guessing she disciplined them again?'

The latter nodded ''Right off the bat. She had quite a few words for everyone too...''

Erza tended to be rather stern, she always tried to keep things in order around her. She had a no nonsense air that made the entire thing very effective to say the least. From early on, her temper ensured that few would dare to cross her. And most of those who did wound up paying for it big time. In fact, it had been the news of her arrival earlier that had left everyone on alert.

The redhead looked unrepentant ''It was necessary. Someone has to keep things in line.''

Belle happened to notice a big white object decorated with jewelry nearby ''What's that?''

''Ah, the townspeople were kind enough to take one of the fangs of the monster I defeated and given it to to me as a gift. Given that they already said they can make good use of it, that's quite kind don't you think?'' Erza inquired.

''I guess so...do you even have any room though?'' The cat had to ask.

Erza was the manager of the guild's dorm hall, Fairy Hills but with all the things she came to acquire over time, she had five rooms to accomodate everything. But with the sheer amount of things present, Belle had to wonder how she made it all work.

''I can manage.'' The knight mage replied.

Riku raised an eye, since Fairy Hills was a strictly girls dorm and Erza made sure to enforce that rule, he hadn't been there. Though this just left him to wonder 'Is it that bad?'

''She likes to hoard things, remember?'' Belle returned.

Erza gave her a look ''Don't say it like that. I make sure to keep useful things, thank you very much. I have to set an example as part of my responsiblity in Fairy Hills.''

The cat saw her point ''Well, given how it's been going so far, I'd say you're doing pretty good.''

''Thank you.''

'You know, speaking of Fairy Hills-I never understood why there isn't a boys dorm.' Riku admitted.

''So did I, we did wind up taking it in stride but it does make you wonder...'' Mira trailed off.

* * *

Later, when they passed the request board, they came across Natsu, Lucy and Happy, who were with a man wearing tribal clothes.

''You're still waiting for a job, huh?'' Natsu asked.

''Of course! I want the perfect one for me.''

A curious Lucy looked at Happy for help. The cat explained ''Nab's always saying stuff like that. We're kind of sure he does take jobs every now and then but we see him so much around here that one just wonders when it even happens.''

''That sounds...'' Lucy froze up upon seeing something behind them and let out a scream that made them all look at her.

''Whoa, what's wrong?'' Natsu demanded.

''A snake!'' She pointed at the cause of her fright, a surprisingly big snake with dark purple scales that had slithered behind her and Riku.

Her friend's response threw her for a loop.

''Hey, Cubelios!''

The snake nodded slightly as if in greeting, glancing at Lucy and blinking again. It let out a pleasant hiss when Riku patted her head a moment later, leaning it to the gentle touch.

''W-wait, you all know that thing?''

''Cubelios is a friend, you weirdo. She wouldn't hurt any of us.'' Natsu stated.

Lucy bristled, after all how was she supposed to know? That was an understandable reaction.

The only thing that stopped her from retorting was that Riku seemed to be thinking along similar lines 'Give her a break, she couldn't have known after all.'

''Yeah, that's uncalled for. Lucy, Cubelios belongs to a friend of ours.'' Belle added, to Cubelios, she explained. ''She's new around here. You just surprised her.''

The snake nodded again at that, seemingly giving Lucy a once-over before slithering over to a young man with somewhat spiky maroon hair, tan skin and sharp dark eyes. He wore a white coat over a black shirt, crimson pants and a studded belt with black shoes.

Nab looked surprised ''Erik!''

The new arrival nodded slightly ''Hey, I see things are about the same as ever here.''

''Heh, guess so.'' Natsu cracked a smirk. ''Whaddya say to a little spar?''

''Right off the bat?!'' Happy exclaimed while Erik rolled his eyes.

''Not happening.''

''Aw, come on!''

''...Does he usually go challenging people to fights like that?'' Lucy asked Belle, who nodded. ''Oh brother...''

''You guys are no fun.'' Natsu grumbled, looking at Riku and Erik, who were exchanging greetings.

''Well, we just won't play your annoying games, idiot. Deal with it.'' Erik deadpanned. He was among those who had little interest in the guild's usual chaotic fights and so would only enter them if provoked.

''So you're the newcomer, huh?'' She blinked and looked back, seeing that Erik was watching her. ''Name's Erik Astray. Looks like you're going to get used to a lot of crazy around here.''

She gave an exasperated sigh ''Trust me, I know. I've already figured that out by the the time I got here...''

'She's already had a pretty eventful couple of days to start things off.' Riku added.

Erik seemed amused ''I can imagine. Don't worry, we've all been there. For what it's worth, you sure picked a good place to be.''

Lucy began to smile ''Yup, it already feels like a real home.''

''Good to hear. Oh, and Cubelios says she's sorry for scaring you. She's harmless to guild members.''

''Ah...'' Lucy blinked. ''...wait, you can understand-erm, her?''

''Erik's really good with sound magic, he can hear all of sorts of things.'' Happy informed.

''Oh...'' That sounded handy, especially if it enabled such communication between them.

She looked at Cubelios again, sure the snake kind of scared her still but she _was_ apologizing...''...it's okay, I just never saw that coming. No harm done.''

Cubelios nodded slightly back before looking at Erik again and nodding at the request board. He raised an eye ''Oh, you found it? We're set then.'' To the others, he added. ''We're taking a request I heard about earlier. Anyone know where Master is?''

''He went to the meeting over in Clover Town.'' Nab informed. ''It's the usual arrangement when he isn't here so Mira's managing things.''

Erik nodded at that and picked up the request he had in mind, knowing he would need her to get it approved.

''So what do you want to do now?'' Happy asked his partner.

''I dunno, guess we'll try to find a job...''

''Funny you should say that.'' The two looked at Erik. ''Erza was just saying something about how she'd likely need to come to you guys for help.''

* * *

The statement left them curious so they went to seek out the knight mage, wondering what she had in mind.

''I see...'' Erza hummed when they filled her in. ''...well, Erik was right. I would have preferred to have him come as well but seeing as he left, there's no helping it.''

''So what's up?'' Natsu inquired.

''Before I explain, Happy, can you call Gray over? This concerns him as well.''

''Sure, give me a minute.'' The blue cat flew off.

It was then that Erza noticed Lucy ''Ah, come to think of it you were here before-new member?''

''Yeah, I just joined the other day. Hi, it's nice to meet you.'' She returned, Erza returned the pleasantries in kind. ''Sorry if I was rude but you did come as real imposing before...''

''Ah, not at all. And I do apologize if that alarmed you, I've been told I come off as too much but it's necessary in some cases.''

''I hear you...'' She trailed off as Happy came back with Gray.

''Hey, Happy says you wanted a favor?''

''Something like that.'' Erza returned. ''On my way back, I stopped at a bar near a train station waiting for my ride to Magnolia. That's when I found a couple of strange men. They were saying something about a plan being almost ready and people coming together. Something about a Grim Reaper as well as Lullaby. Looking back, the bar was practically empty. I didn't think much of it at the time and it was only when they left that the bartender told me that people were avoiding them because they were suspected to be part of a dark guild, to be specific Eisenwald.''

''And they just let those creeps walk away?'' Natsu looked incredulous.

''They were likely too frightened of any retribution to act so I can't fault them.'' Erza stated. ''I couldn't find any sign of them back then but after some questioning I was told they mentioned going to Clover Town. The chances are likely that they're up to something and I want your help in stopping them.''

Lucy looked unnerved ''Wouldn't you need more people? I mean you're probably talking about an entire guild here!''

''Nah, we can take 'em! Having numbers wouldn't mean much of anything if they're weak!'' Natsu smirked.

''Heh, this sounds interesting.'' Gray crossed his arms.

The former blinked ''Wait, she said...aw man, does Frosty have to come with us? He'll get in the way!''

Gray was never one to take such a comment lying down ''Hah?! You wish, Pyro, you're the one who'll slow us all down! I'm not the one who gets so pathetically weak at the slightest move of transportation!''

''I'll show you weak!''

''Bring it!''

Belle groaned and Happy shook his head ''...Well, that was bound to happen with those two.''

For some reason they could never understand, Natsu and Gray had an incredible knack on getting each other's nerves. So much so that the slightest provocation or even accident at times would set them fighting. In fact, they fought more than anyone at the guild.

Riku spared the arguing duo an unimpressed look 'Has it ever occurred to either of you that she's actually asked this for a good reason? How about you get over yourselves and listen?'

''I'm not working with him!'' The two cried in tandem.

''Natsu. Gray.'' They froze at the mention of their names, because of the dangerous tone coming with that tone. Because they knew what it meant.

Erza glowered at the two ''You immature brats! How many times have I told you to stop this ridiculous behavior? You can't keep fighting at the slightest trigger, it's pathetic and you're better than this!'' Neither dared to respond. ''Now, seeing as you're both clearly interested in this, if you come you're expected to be on your best behavior. In other words, if you keep this attitude, I will make you pay. Is that clear?'' The two glared at each other. Erza's gaze sharpened ''I said, is that clear?''

''Y-Yes, Ma'am!''

''Wonder how long they can keep that deal.'' Happy mumbled to the others.

'I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you.' Riku deadpanned.

''Aye. There's no way this is going to work.''

* * *

The next morning, Lucy made her way through the train station, having been urged by Mira to go with the others. The white haired girl believed it would be good experience for her and assured that she would tell Erza.

Though for some reason, when she thought of what a dark guild would want something called Lullaby, something struck a chord in her. It sounded oddly familiar but she just couldn't be sure why. She exhaled, deciding to not mull it over right now, thinking she'd remember if it was important.

Looking back, she sure was coming across some famous names lately. Like Natsu, Erza, Riku and even Erik. The blonde couldn't believe she hadn't recognized him at the time. He was Cobra, the poison master of Fairy Tail. She'd heard a lot about how he used poison in various means when battling and how even his partner could more than hold her own. Belle had even told her that he was the poison dragon slayer. Apparently, he and Riku go way back and Riku was even the reason he joined the guild when he did.

She soon saw Erza with Riku and Belle at one of the seats. The first expressed her surprise to see her now ''Oh, did you want to come with us?''

''Yeah, erm, Mira-san said it'd be good experience. Even helping me get used to working with others, so far it's just been Natsu and Happy.''

''Ah, I see. You're more than welcome to join us.''

Lucy made to speak only to be distracted upon seeing Happy flying nearby with an odd expression ''Happy? What's wrong?''

The cat responded by pointing behind him, making the girls look over to find that Natsu and Gray were approaching them, both glowering at each other and clearly about to go at it again.

''Already? Those two are impossible...'' Lucy hung her head.

Erza scowled ''Natsu, Gray. Fighting again, I see.''

The two cringed and looked at her with equally forced smiles as the first answered ''Who, us? No!''

''Yeah, what makes you think that? We're best friends!'' The latter chimed in.

''Aye Sir!''

Lucy rolled her eyes, sharing unimpressed looks with the others as they were all thinking the same thing. Could they be anymore fake?

Erza's eye twitched as she proceeded to punch the two on the head.

''Gah!''

''What was that for?!''

''First of all, lying!'' She retorted. ''Do you take me for a fool? You two really are idiots if you thought that would work. You remember what I said yesterday, now behave or else take a hike! I was relying on you but given how you're acting now, you'll both get in our way. I can easily extend the courtesy to any of our other friends.''

Faced with this ultimatum and knowing that they both wanted a piece of the action, the two rivals knew that they had no choice but to comply. So they grit their teeth and bore with it, not seeing any other choice.

* * *

The group was soon settled on the train going to Oshibana, the first stop on the way to Clover Town, believing the dark guild would head their first.

Lucy stared in surprise as Natsu froze up the second the train got going, his face growing pale and even gaining somewhat of a blue tint as it looked like he was about to be sick. He soon leaned against a window, keeping his head outside. ''What's wrong with him?''

Gray rolled his eyes ''They get motion sickness.''

She blinked ''They...?'' The celestial mage paused, then noticing that Riku slumped in his seat. He also appeared rather pale and dizzy as Erza moved him slightly so he could lean on her.

''It's a side effect of them being dragon slayers. The exact description escapes me at the moment. Something about how this is due to the discrepancy caused by the magic's side-effect on their bodies, since they gain dragonic characteristics.'' Erza offered.

''Really?'' That seemed odd to Lucy but perhaps she'd try looking into it later. ''Guess you never know what to expect with lost magic. But...how come there's such a big difference?''

She could understand Riku being motion-sick just from the looks of him now but Natsu looked about ten times worse, as if a breeze could knock him over now. Did transportation really mess him up that badly?

''Meh, way I see it, Natsu's got the consistency of a wet noodle.'' Gray grunted, thinking that at least Riku seemed to be trying to put up with it. Natsu just collapsed every time he was on transportation, it was ridiculous.

Natsu glared at him and it almost seemed as if he was about to retort but then his sickness got the better of him and he leaned out the window again.

''...Did he want to pick a fight again?'' Belle shook her head. ''Anyway Erza, you said you had more findings from your search, right?''

She nodded ''We may not have been able to stop those two Eisenwald members but a few people were able to pick up a few tips from their talk. That makes me certain, they're gathering in Oshibana to start their plan and it has to do with this Lullaby thing as well. We'll have to start looking into matters further when we arrive.''

''Sounds good.'' Gray returned.

Lucy wasn't so sure ''Are you sure this is okay? It just seems like we're going against too much on our own.''

''Numbers aren't everything, you know.'' He said dismissively.

''Aye, it's quality over quantity here.'' Happy added. ''Erza and the others are really strong. You know, Erza's magic is pretty.''

''It's nothing special, my powers are focused on my swordsmanship.'' The redhead stated ''If anything, I think Gray's magic is far more beautiful.''

''I wouldn't say that.'' He returned, at Lucy's curious look, he created an exact match of their guild mark, only made of ice. ''It's no big deal, just ice make magic.''

''It might be better to move in a small group anyway.'' Belle stated. ''If they see a bunch of us coming together it might convince Eisenwald to change their plans somehow until they can be sure things can go off without a hitch. They've already got the better hand here and it's only by chance that Erza found them out, what're the odds we can actually catch them at it again so soon?''

''Good point.'' Lucy conceded, she didn't feel like risking the odds either. It was even more worrying as there was much they didn't know.

''Just do the best you can and we'll do the same, I believe we can do this.'' Erza stated.

She nodded back, feeling a little better. Right, she was here now so she had to give it her best shot.

''Yup, let's give it our all. We can't let fear stop us.'' Belle declared.

''Aye Sir, I'm ready!'' Happy added.

It wasn't too long before they arrived at Oshibana's station, and already something didn't seem right about the town. The group braced themselves, preparing for what was coming.

* * *

_Well, let's stop here. _

_I hope it was good. I wanted to get things underway for the Eisenwald fight next chapter and add more things to Fairy Tail in general. So yeah, I think Erik's an interesting character and I wanted to try having him in the guild. I know Brain came to pick up the members of Oracion Seis early before Jellal was stopped in canon. But here Erik and Cubelios got to escape just after the revolt, partly because he happened to meet Riku, who saved him at the time. That also lead to them becoming friends as well as with Erza and the others. He joined Fairy Tail later because he got separated from them after the escape and went traveling alone for a while. I'm going to explain about what happened between them at the Tower of Heaven arc as I plan to have Eric be a part of the group that takes down Jellal and his followers. It leads to an incident turns out to be more significant down the line. _

_Oh and I'll tell you straight up, Riku and Erik don't know about the real situation with the Tower, for different reasons. _

_Well, that's all I had to say. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it, till next time!_


	3. Chapter 3

_MeepioKek: Thanks! I'm glad you like it so far._

* * *

Things seemed to be calm in town at first, making one wonder if the place really was to be targeted by a dark guild...

''You guys have it rough, huh?'' Lucy said to Riku, who was shaking his head to clear it after the bout of motion sickness. This side effect to their magic sounded like a pain to her.

He waved a hand 'At this point, I think we're used to it.'

''You mean _you're _used to it.'' Gray corrected, thinking of how Natsu seemed to fall apart every time around transportation. ''Anyway, good thing you told Happy to go back and get the moron, Belle. Imagine how much of a pain it would be if he was left behind.''

''Yeah, Natsu always did seem like he could use a helping hand in times like these. Aren't they taking a little too long though?'' Belle tilted her head.

''Yes...'' Erza looked back at the train, for a moment she thought she saw something black obscure some windows, but it vanished so quickly that she couldn't be sure. ''...I wonder what happened.''

Just then, an announcement rang out, declaring that the train was about to head off again.

Lucy blinked ''Whoa, what? Hold on!''

Gray frowned as they hurried to the train ''What's taking them so long?''

But as they caught up, the train was already heading out...

* * *

Little did they realize, their friends simply had no choice. For as Happy was busy helping Natsu, they encountered a man who recognized Natsu's guild mark and mentioned something odd about guilds before attacking them.

Just as Natsu had been about to fight back, the train started moving. And unfortunately, this left the fire dragon slayer practically incapacitated and Happy had no choice but to try and pull him away from the man's attacks.

''Lucky me! I get to have a little fun kicking around brats from a legal guild before everything starts!'' The man, Kageyama, unleashed another spell. Happy yelped and quickly flew off as tendrils of shadows lashed out at them.

Their opponent smirked and waved a hand, the shadows condensed and formed a number of knuckles that knocked them both down.

''That's more like it.'' Kageyama sneered, kicking Natsu's side. ''That's where weak punks like you belong, beneath us!''

''Stop it-ah!'' Happy was lifted into the air by another shadow tendril.

''You want to help him so badly? Be my guest, you'll get his same fate.''

A spell circle manifested as he cast another spell but just then, what looked like the dark purple gate opened up before his eyes. The next thing he knew, spiralling winds surged forth and send him crashing into one of the seats.

Happy smiled upon seeing their savior ''Belle!''

The female cat wisely kept her attention on their opponent as she cast again ''Solar Ray!''

She aimed her paws carefully and a golden spell circle appeared, creating a fast white ray that Kageyama failed to dodge in time, making him cringe.

He scowled ''Shadow Knuckle!''

Belle readily countered ''Gale Force!'' A green spell-circle appeared beneath her and her friends, raising powerful winds that forced the shadows away from them.

Kageyama cursed, noting his surroundings ''I'm running out of time...'' He created a dome of shadows to protect himself from another Solar Ray before using said shadows to create a hand and grab his enemies, leaving Belle and Happy to get Natsu away from there.

Suddenly, the train came to a complete halt. Happy's eyes widened ''What's going on?''

Belle began to smile as she pointed outside, making him follow his line of sight until he saw a wall of ice blocking the rail way.

* * *

Gray smirked as the train stopped ''That did it.''

Sudden as all this was, they had managed to intervene in time. Erza procured a magic four-wheeler, basically something like a car that ran on magic. While Riku manipulated his magic in a way that let him fly by making the darkness into a platform of sorts. With the power Erza supplied the vehicle, they were able to catch up to the train. What really made the whole thing better was that people had the time to disembark and since the train left so quickly, it was only them here.

The next part worked as well as it did thanks in a big part to Riku and Belle. Riku's dragon slayer magic came with the handy ability of being able to teleport someone or something with in a rather decent range. Once they were close enough to ensure it would work, Riku opened up a gate that let Belle land in the room where their friends were and from the looks of it, she was handling things just fine.

And that wasn't all...

''Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!''

One of the doors was sent flying as Natsu blew it away and Kageyama barely managed to dodge in time. Natsu stepped out of the train, followed by Happy and Belle.

''You're not getting any more lucky shots, you bastard!''

Kageyama glared back, though his expression changed into one of alarm when Natsu happened to notice something that had fallen from him.

It was an odd wooden flute, having a carving of a three eyed skull.

''Hey, wha...''

''Dammit!'' The man tried to force him back with a wave of shadows before hurrying to pick it up.

Natsu quickly dodged the the spell, raising an eye at the sudden panic in Kageyama's eyes. What was that about?

Happy blinked ''Natsu, what happened?''

''Just now, I saw...''

Then, the wall of ice was struck by numerous wind blades that destroyed it. Everyone looked for the source and they found a man with spiky gray hair flying above them. With him were a couple of men with similar smirks.

''So those are the flies holding you up, Kageyama?''

''Erigor-san!''

''Erigor?'' Erza's eyes narrowed, so this was Eisenwald's ace, also known as the Shinigami.

''Where are the others?'' Erigor demanded.

''On their way, I just made sure of it.'' Kageyama replied at once.

''Good...'' Before anyone knew it, the new arrival dropped something and it caused a flash that forced everyone to look away. A moment later, they were forced back by a strong burst of wind.

When they looked back, both dark mages were gone.

* * *

While their departure had been sudden, it didn't mean the end of things. No, Natsu and Riku were able to find their scent and point the group in the general direction.

Just when it seemed things were looking up, Natsu picked up on a snag in the problem. He eyed the vehincle nervously ''...Do we have to ride that thing?''

''We don't have a choice, you guys could only find some trace of a smell and they must have used some kind of magic to get away. Who knows where they'd be now?'' Lucy pointed out.

''Riku, that gate...?''

'It doesn't work if I don't at least know where I'm going.' Riku payed the groan that followed this no mind as he continued. 'I haven't tried this before with someone but...' He created the makeshift platform under his feet.

Natsu gave him a dubious look ''How does that help?''

In answer, the brunet lifted a hand and the platform rose.

Natsu's jaw dropped in shock ''You can fly?!''

'Somewhat. It doesn't get very high but I use it when I have to.'

''How long have you had this? Why didn't you tell me?!''

Riku blinked, his expression making it clear that he considered this an overreaction 'You didn't ask.'

''That's cool! I wanna try something like it!'' Natsu enthused.

''Getting the magic like that probably takes a lot of control, Ash brain.'' Gray guessed correctly. He very much doubted that Natsu could pull this kind of thing off, knowing him. ''Don't go rushing into this stuff.''

Erza sighed, sparing Natsu an exasperated look ''Well, with that settled-Riku, can you try taking him along? We'll have to rely on the two of you to lead us in the right direction anyway.''

* * *

They wound up reaching a radio station in the furthest part of Oshibana. And it was evident that something was wrong as a few people hung about here and there as others hurried away.

But the biggest factor to prove this was the presence the Rune Knights, the enforcers of the Magic Council.

''They already beat us here...'' Happy trailed off.

Erza hurried over and grabbed one of the knights' shoulder ''What's going on?''

''Eh? Why should I tell you...'' The poor man didn't get much further than that as Erza hit him on the hard enough to knock him out.

''Just like that?!'' Lucy exclaimed. Clearly, this was nothing to the redhead as she was quick to ask another knight, only to knock them out a second later as he apparently didn't answer fast enough.

Gray sighed ''Come on, let's straighten this out.''

He went on as they caught up with Erza, getting one of the knights' attention ''Just ignore her. We're Fairy Tail wizards, we happened to catch word that something was up with Eisenwald so we came to stop them.''

''Ah, I see...'' The knight nodded. ''...well, most of our troops went inside, we're here to guard this place and make sure to defend any innocents. But we haven't heard anything from them yet.''

''Leave it to us.'' Erza said confidently.

''Wait, but it looks like the whole guild is there...!'' The man started, looking alarmed at the suggestion.

''We can take 'em!'' Natsu declared before rushing right in the station.

''O-oi!''

''Of course he goes on and does this...'' Belle shook her head.

Lucy sighed, glancing at the knight as she added ''Anyway, you've done your part. Now we'll do ours.''

''Aye, let's go!'' Happy called.

* * *

It didn't take them long to find out why the other knights hadn't relayed any news to their comrades. For they all lay there, defeated and scattered around the area. Once they caught up to Natsu, it was to find him facing a large amount of people that had to the members of Eisenwald. They were headed by Erigor and Kageyama.

''So all the flies are here...'' The first spat. ''...you fool, you really did alert them to our mission!''

Kageyama flinched, cringing as he remembered how Erigor let him have it because of this suspicion earlier ''I-I'm sorry!''

''Who're you calling flies?!'' Natsu demanded.

''Who do you think?'' He returned. ''I don't know whether to call you brave or stupid, rushing in like this to face all of us. Do you really think you can win this?''

''Of course we can!''

The declaration raised laughter from many of those present, to the fire dragon slayer's ire.

''I guess they really must be stupid. They're in over their heads after all.'' Kageyama leered.

''Just what are you scoundrels planning? Why do all this?'' Erza demanded.

Erigor seemed to be thinking his response over ''Hmph, well since things went so far, I might as well tell you. We've had enough of you people from legal guilds, always living it up so we've decided to take action...We are simply cleaning up those fools who live their lives enjoying their right, not knowing that there are people who have been revoked of their rights. Living a life oblivious of the unfairness of this world is a sin. That's why we've gathered here. With Lullaby's song, the Shinigami had has come to punish those ignorant fools.''

The words 'Lullaby's song' hit a chord with Lucy and now she knew why the name sounded familiar to her. ''You're going to make people listen to that thing?!'' Eyes traveled to her as she continued. ''I've heard of Lullaby before, a cursed song of death. Anyone who heard its song was said to have been killed!''

''What?!'' Happy cried.

Riku frowned, thinking that the dark guild's actions made sense now. That odd flute must have been Lullaby. It would explain why Kageyama panicked upon dropping the thing.

No wonder they seemed invested in the radio tower...

The realization was also sinking for the others. Gray glared at Erigor ''You're going to play that damn thing over the speakers?''

''That's never going to get you your rights back!'' Happy pointed out.

''Didn't I say it before? We're taking action and this is what we choose!'' Erigor smirked as he began to fly. ''You've come to your deaths, you foolish flies!''

''We have to stop him!'' Erza exclaimed.

But before they could do anything, the members of Eisenwald got in the way. One of them called ''You're gonna have to deal with all of us too, you brats!''

''You can try, but you'll fail!'' Another added.

''We can't stay like this...'' Happy frowned. The more time spent here, the more time Erigor had after all.

''But what do we do?'' Lucy wondered as the enemies drew closer.

Erza had an answer ''Natsu, Gray, we'll clear up a path for you. Go after Erigor.'' The two scowled at each other, knowing they were expected to work together...

Their expressions must have made their sentiments clear because the redhead's eyes narrowed ''I said go! This is not the time or place for your antics!''

''Seriously, sort our your priorities for once. You heard what that guy wants to do!'' Belle added.

A number of the enemies fired magic blasts at them. Riku opened up another gate that swallowed the blasts coming on his end. Belle decided to use the fruits of their training and used Requip magic to bring out three staves before casting ''Three Layered Magic Circle: Mirror Water!''

The staves aligned before her, creating magic circles that blocked all the blasts nearby and reflected them back at the Eisenwald mages.

''Whoa, nice!'' Happy exclaimed.

''Man, Mystogan's magic sure is handy...'' Gray trailed off.

When a few enemies tried to rush them next, Erza met them head on. She requipped a sword and took the attackers out with a few placed strikes. Seeing this forced another group of enemies back, apparently deciding to bombard them with spells instead as they were quick to conjure a number of elemental spells then.

They never got far as Riku concentrated his magic on his arms, they were covered with darkness a second later, forming the semblance of claws. He swiped his hands in the air then, this created big claw shaped blasts that seemingly appeared out of nowhere, catching the enemy unaware and hitting them hard. This was one of the techniques Riku derived from his dragon slayer training, called Abyss Claw.

Belle thrust one of her staves, it released powerful waves of magic that forced back those in its way. Riku proceeded to use Dark Dragon's Roar, unleashing a spiraling blast of darkness that hit many enemies, clearing out a crowd.

He looked back at Natsu and Gray, who knew that the two had done this on purpose to help them get started. Thus, no words needed to be said and the rivals headed off in the direction they had seen Erigor take.

The Eisenwald group tried to stop them, only to find, to general surprise that they couldn't go after them. For the second they tried, their path was blocked despite seeming like there was nothing there. And no matter how hard they tried, nothing worked.

''What's going on?!''

''This makes no sense!''

Closer inspection revealed a set of odd looking letters, leaving those nearby alarmed as they began to understand. Someone had set up runes before and trapped them here.

''Wait, Rune magic?'' Lucy blinked, missing Erza and Belle's knowing looks. She knew how useful such an ability could be but from what she had learned it took time to set them up to be effective. Which left her to wonder ''When...?''

Happy looked at Riku, who merely gave a small smile that made the cat grin. ''Way to go!''

As Lucy looked over in surprise, Riku glanced at her 'They're not going anywhere unless I say so. There wouldn't have been much of a point in splitting up if they still run anyway.'

''If we're stuck here, we're going to make you regret it!''

''Those are big words, let's see you try and act on them. Requip!'' Erza called, she was covered with golden lights for a few moments. When it faded, she was revealed to be clad in a new armor, this one all silver with a circlet around her head. Plated armor covered her chest barring her stomach and she wore a large metal skirt with metallic wings on her back. ''Heaven's Wheel Armor!''

''Whoa, what's that?'' Lucy wondered, idly noting how some of their enemies seemed stunned, admiring Erza's beauty.

''Erza's the best with Requip magic, she taught me all about how it works.'' Belle explained. ''She's got special armor and weapons in her personal dimensions, all unique to her. Her variety of Requip is called The Knight.''

Erza flew up, requipping more swords before charging at their enemies, sending the swords at them ''Blumenblatt!''

The powerful strike sent all those in its path reeling, knocking them down at once. But she wasn't done ''Trinity Sword!''

Lucy watched in awe as none of their enemies seemed able to stop the knight mage. ''Wow, incredible!''

Riku looked on with a growing smile as his old friend's prowess became clear for all to see. After what happened to them before joining the guild, they wound up learning about Requip magic and worked on it together. Erza had taken it far more than just that. Her talent and hard work had led to her becoming one of their guild's strongest, in his opinion, she was admirable and he made it a goal to strive to her level.

Riku didn't think he'd be exaggerating if he said that none of their enemies had a prayer against her.

''Wait, that armor and this fighting style...she's Titania!'' One of their conscious enemies realized with alarm.

''W-what?!''

''No wonder she's tough!''

Another member tried to push them forward ''Che, come on, we can't let that stop us! Let's take her buddies down, they can't be all be like her!''

''Yeah, we can't let them win!''

A few charged at the group head on while others made to blast them with magic. Riku proceeded to requip a great sword, it had a white and gold pommel with some purple runes inscribed with in it. The blade itself was black, glowing with power once Riku willed his magic into it. He met the attackers head on, knocking their weapons away with a few placed strikes with his sword.

''That thing's huge and he can use it with one arm?'' Lucy stared.

''Ah, that's nothing for Riku.'' Happy chirped.

The brunet leveled his sword as he concentrated his power, he was gone in an instant. It appeared that a black missile had struck their enemies, Riku was that swift and strong, they couldn't stop him. He finished his attack with a final swipe, his sword releasing a burst of power that knocked the rest of the ones targeting him out.

''All right, Riku!'' Belle beamed.

Erza looked on with a growing smile ''As expected.''

''Amazing...'' Lucy trailed off. Seeing all this just proved her friends' earlier words true, they were truly strong. Quality vs Quantity indeed...

She found this heartening to say the least, which prompted her into action. She grabbed a golden key ''I'm not just going to watch. Gate of the Giant Crab, I open thee! Cancer!''

A big, golden spell circle and with a bell-like chime appeared what seemed to be a red, humanoid crab wearing a striped shirt and black pants and shoes with sunglasses.

''Take those guys out!''

''Understood, ebi!'' Cancer returned at his summoner's command, holding up a pair of scissors. In seconds, the celestial spirit had not only destroyed their enemies' weapons and clothes, but even cut their hair down to nothing, leaving them to all cry out in dismay as they collapsed.

''Not bad at all.'' Erza hummed.

''All right, points scored with Erza!'' Lucy beamed.

''That's what you were going for?!'' Happy exclaimed.

Cancer smirked ''As always, I've got you covered you, baby.''

Erza's brow furrowed ''I can't say I care much for the way he addresses you, though.''

Both spirit and summoner slumped at this as Lucy mumbled ''Points un-scored...''

''Anyway...'' Belle spared her a flat look. ''...shouldn't we get a move on?''

* * *

Natsu and Gray had to go separate ways once the former realized each of their enemies had taken a route of their own.

The first continued charging through the area, punching away any structure in his path. He was oblivious to Kageyama watching from a distance incredulously, believing this method to be excessive.

''Does this guy even know what he's doing...?''

Gray on the other hand was taking a more subtle approach, not wanting to take any chances when he had no idea where their enemies were.

He opened another door and frowned ''Empty again...''

The words died in his mouth once he caught a shadow above him because of the light coming from outside the room. This made him back off quickly and just in time as black tendrils struck the area where he had just been.

''You've got good hunches.'' An Eisenwald member leaped down to face him, smirking. ''But it won't matter, I, Rayule will be the one to defeat you!''

''You guys are all just as good at big talk...'' Gray leveled his aim. ''...Ice Make: Lance!''

Rayule quickly hopped away from all the icy blasts ''Big talk, huh? Let's see that mouth run when I'm done with you!''

* * *

A short while later, when the team reconvened outside the radio tower after Natsu and Gray defeated Rayule and Kageyama, they were caught off guard by the sound of Erigor's laughter.

''What, you're still up and about? Well, it doesn't matter at this point...''

''What's that supposed to mean?'' Erza demanded.

He smirked ''All your efforts won't amount to a damn thing, that's what. I'm off!''

The group hurried towards him but the next thing anyone knew, fierce winds pushed them back, making them stop as they took in the sight of a huge wall of spiraling winds around the station.

''Wait, he just blocked it off and left?'' Gray blinked.

''Wouldn't that mean...?'' Belle started.

''Yeah, their aim was never the station in the first place...'' Lucy nodded with a grimace.''...they tricked us.''

Riku's eyes widened as a thought occured to him. Looking over Erigor's actions, they really didn't add up. But thinking it over...

Natsu cursed ''Fine, let's go!''

He tried to rush through the wall but was rebuffed by the force of the spell, Happy frowned ''That's too dangerous, it'll just keep hurting you!''

''Well, we can't stay here!''

''Just pushing through it won't do any good, we've got to find a way out!''

Erza's eyes narrowed, she did have an idea of a way that could solve this predicament but it depended on someone. ''Riku, do you think...?'' She blinked, noticing her old friend's increasingly alarmed expression, seemingly distracted. ''What's wrong?''

He looked at them 'I just thought-Erigor said something about reclaiming their right and getting back at people from light guilds, didn't he?''

''Yes, what about it?''

'I think I figured out what he's up to. Something that would let him get such a big blow on all guilds at once with Lullaby...he's going to the guild master's meeting.'

The statement made the group freeze in surprise but as they thought it over, they knew the darkness dragon slayer was on to something. After all, for someone who seemingly despised light guilds like Erigor did, the meeting must have made for a perfect chance. And the timing was far too suspicious...not to mention the location of the meeting was actually close by...

He had been leading them around but his true target for this entire scheme was the guild masters. This revelation pushed the importance of their success to a new level.

''That bastard, he can't get away with this!'' Natsu scowled.

''We'll make sure of that, let's hurry!'' Erza called.

* * *

_Well, let's stop here. _

_I hope it was good. I don't want to make it too long anyway, just a way to kick things off before I finish things up next chapter. I skipped Natsu and Gray's fights because they aren't really all that different from what went on in canon and I don't see the point of repeating them now. _

_Anywho, thanks for reading and I hope you keep it up. Till next time!_


	4. Chapter 4

As the group hurried towards Clover Town, where the guild masters meeting was taking place, they received more confirmation of their enemies' plan upon seeing Erigor going in the same direction up ahead.

''That's the breezy bastard!'' Natsu exclaimed.

Erigor stopped and looked back, raising an eye ''Oh, so you're all out? I must admit, I didn't expect that-least of all so soon.''

''If you think you can keep us down, you got another thing coming!''

He sneered at Natsu's words ''Someone's cocky, think you can take me on?''

''Hell yeah!'' The dragon slayer leveled a fist and it ignited at once.

''This is the last thing we need...'' Gray grunted.

''You guys keep going, he's mine!'' Natsu declared.

Lucy seemed concerned, judging by the power Erigor used so far, he was not to be underestimated. Hell, he'd even raised that big wind barrier to keep them in the station. It was only thanks to Riku being able to negate it with runes that they got here. The thought made her ask ''Are you sure?''

''Totally, I got this!''

''Very well, come on!'' Erza told the others, who agreed and followed her lead.

''And where do you think you're going?'' Erigor made to launch a spell at them only for Natsu to get in his way.

''You're dealing with me now!''

''And me!'' Happy flew to his shoulders, Natsu looked back at him and grinned, not the least bit surprised.

''Let's go!''

* * *

''Think we've got even more trouble ahead?'' Gray asked.

''I wouldn't be surprised if we did. It's hard to be sure if we defeated all our enemies in the first place.'' Erza stated.

Belle blinked ''Oh yeah...and even when we found those guys in the station, they were around for a while-there's no telling if some of them got to scatter in the midst of all that in the first place. Some of them might have actually even been outside the town.''

Lucy had to agree with that line of reasoning ''Yeah...they've clearly had this all planned out.''

Riku stopped a moment later, his eyes narrowing. It was faint but he caught a few unfamiliar scents that given their situation, had him on guard. He held up an arm to stop his friends before requipping his sword.

Erza knew him well enough now to realize what this was about. Her eyes followed Riku's line of sight, landing on the numerous boulders around them as she also prepared a blade of her own. Belle was similary unsurprised, having long since grown accustomed to her partner's enhanced senses.

''Oh, so we got ourselves a welcome comittee?'' Gray smirked. Lucy tensed, her hand hovered above her keys as she saw where this was going. ''All right, we shouldn't keep 'em waiting!''

* * *

''Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!''

Erigor cracked a smirk before simply flying away from the charging Natsu, who was in the air with Happy's help. ''Too easy. Storm Shred!''

A spell circle flashed, unleashing a barrage of wind blades flew out towards Natsu and Happy. The latter quickly hurried on to dodge, but Erigor waved a hand, conjuring a gust that almost threw the exceed off balance, resulting in them being hit. Natsu quickly used his flames to boost them before they hit the ground, letting Happy recover.

''You all right?'' He asked the cat, who quickly shook his head.

''Y-yeah, sorry...I didn't see it coming.''

''Don't sweat it, buddy. We're still good.'' He assured.

''Not for long!'' Erigor flew at them quickly, his scythe aimed as he took a swing at the duo. Happy flew away in time and Natsu tried to hit their enemy with a Fire Dragon's Claw but Erigor avoided the worst of the strike by defending with his weapon. Natsu punched him then but Erigor held up his scythe again in response, only to be unprepared for the oncoming kick to his side which sent him reeling. Natsu made sure to press on, striking with a Fire Dragon's Wing Attack then.

Erigor grit his teeth, refusing to show any sign of pain as he moved up his hands in an odd pattern, sending a forceful gale that threw the surprised Natsu and Happy down. He smirked ''Is that it?''

* * *

The rest of the Fairy Tail group realized that their conclusions were looking more and more to be right on the money. For Riku's suspicion had been correct and they had arrived in an area that was surrounded by hidden Eisenwald mages.

In fact, the enemies seemed to know that they had been found out but even then didn't come out of hiding, resorting to blasting the group with magic instead.

Lucy hurried away to dodge a blast of lightning coming in her direction while Erza side stepped a round of flames coming at her. Gray aimed at an area he was certain some of the attacks came from before casting Ice Make: Lance, the out cries that followed this told him he hit the mark. Belle was able to find more of the attackers with a little help from Riku and she wasted no time in using her wind magic to create a storm that swept them off their feet.

The remnant enemies seemed to decide that there was no use hiding and so changed strategies, charging at the group with weapons at the ready...

* * *

Happy grimaced as he watched Natsu continue the battle. He kept flying with his partner as much as possible but his magic had run far too low to continue. Natsu didn't let that deter him though, keeping up the fight all the way.

He was still put plenty of the defensive, due to the enemy's speed and ability to fly. It also didn't help that Erigor had a weapon with such a long reach or that his wind could put out Natsu's fire.

Natsu grinned upon succesfully nailing Erigor with Fire Dragon's Claw before kicking him and attacking once more.

''Fire Dragon's Roar!''

''Hmph, I might have underestimated you but that still change a thing.'' Erigor punctuated the statement by avoiding the attack. ''It's time I fight seriously. Storm Mail!''

Erigor spun his scythe around, a magic circle flashing into existence then as he crossed his arms. This caused many air currents to surround him, effectively creating a veritable armor of wind around his body, to their surprise.

''Whatever this is, it won't stop me! Fire Dragon's Talon!'' Natsu called.

He was stunned when his flames were put out the second he was near Erigor, who laughed. ''Did you think this was for show? Your magic would be useless on me now. Flame cannot defeat wind.''

He wasn't too surprised when his enemy pressed onward, his spell fending off any danger perfectly.

''You're lacking a whole lot of power without your flames. Too bad for you, I don't have such a problem.'' Erigor thrust a hand out, sending Natsu crashing down via powerful air currents. ''Now, Storm Bringer!''

A spell-circle appeared around Natsu and in seconds, a powerful tornado was generated, stunning him and sending him flying. Erigor held his scythe at the ready and flew towards him, thinking he couldn't fight.

Thus, he was stunned when Natsu got up just before he reached him and jumped away. He charged at Erigor to attack again, only to be forced because of the Storm Mail, to his growing frustration.

''No matter how many times you try, it'd be the same thing.'' Erigor struck back then, the wind from his armor spell adding to the damage from the punch before he pushed Natsu away. ''It's time for the soaring wind magic that cuts everything, Emera Baram!''

He proceeded to fire a concentrated blast of wind blades that even cut the railway tracks near Natsu as he tried to dodge but soon he was caught in the midst of it.

''Natsu!'' Happy gasped, seeing a cloud of dust cover the area around him.

When it cleared, Natsu pulled himself up, glowering at Erigor who looked on in surprise as the teen's fists were bathed in flames. ''...I have to admit, you're pretty good to get out of that in one piece.''

There had to be something that can be done here. Happy grimaced, anything to help end this...

It was then that the blue cat happened to note how something seemed to be affecting the wind around Erigor, it was seemed to be flowing somewhat erratically. This gave Happy an idea.

''Natsu, this isn't any good.'' He said at last. ''We shouldn't have let the others leave. Look, just drop this and let Gray take over, you're never going to win.''

The dragon slayer almost gaped at him in shock before his anger reignited, stronger than ever. Gray? As if the ice mage was better than him!

''NO WAY!''

Happy couldn't help but grin when his suspicion was proven true as Natsu's flames grew even stronger before he went at Erigor again. His emotions were powering up the flames. The wind user was confident that he could stop this, only to find that for some reason, he couldn't control his power.

''What's going on?!''

The man didn't have much time to wonder as Natsu went on a fierce attack, punching and kicking where he could reach. He hadn't realized that his wind magic was totally weakened by Natsu's flames, with how it was all drawn away from him. And Natsu was clearly making the most of this.

He jumped back ''Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!''

Erigor gasped as Natsu rammed him a second later, wreathed in flames. This sent him flying before he hit the ground hard, down and out.

''You did it, way to go!'' Happy enthused.

The teen smirked back ''So what about the others?''

''Well, they did go up ahead. Who knows what...'' The words died in Happy's mouth when he saw a few flashes from an area not too far away. ''...Natsu, they want that way.''

''All right, we better step on it!''

* * *

Around the same time...

Erza dispatched an enemy wielding a big hammer with a few skillful strikes from two blades. Gray froze one who tried to attack him while Riku went into a spin, slamming his sword on the ground a second later. The blade released a powerful energy wave that pushed all the enemies on his way back. Belle created rays of light magic to strike them down.

''Gate of the Golden Bull, I open thee! Taurus!''

The powerful ax-wielding zodiac spirit appeared with a moo ''I've got your back, Lucy-san! I won't let anyone hurt your nice booody!''

Lucy chose to ignore the last remark ''Take those guys out!''

''With pleasure!'' Taurus grinned, charging at the enemies before them. He swiped his axe, forcing them all back before he kept going. Those who tried to counter strike all failed as Taurus was hardly fazed by their blows, he easily dodged or tanked any weapon coming at him. ''Take this!''

He swiped with the flat side of the axe this time, slamming one enemy and throwing him into the others. The spirit then looked at the last enemy nearby as he scrambled to a tall rock. It almost seemed like he was writing on the ground or something...

The next thing they knew, a magenta spell circle flashed before a big, blue scaled wyvern-like monster appeared, with the Eisenwald mage now on its back.

''So he's a Pict-Mage...'' Gray frowned in realization while Lucy stared on in shock.

On command, the monster let out a roar and charged at them. Taurus picked Lucy up and hurriedly jumped away while Riku opened a gate for him and the others, which they all jumped through.

Taurus was dumbfounded when they appeared next to him a moment ''How?!''

But it was hardly the time as the enemy was still on their heels, now sending out blasts of magic at them. Riku held up an arm, a purple spell circle appeared before, quickly replaced by another gate, this one was completely black and bigger than what was previously used. In seconds, the blasts changed directions as if an unseen force drew them all towards the spell, which disappeared. This was Dark Dragon's Negative Gate.

''Nice going! Ice Make: Ice cannon!'' Gray leveled the ice construct on his shoulder before firing the blast, which hit the wyvern on the head. Taurus struck next, with Erza and Riku moving in tandem to attack afterwards, leaving the creature to hit the ground hard. It soon faded away, leaving its creator dazed and helpless.

''Oh, look what we have here.'' Gray smirked as the man recoiled, knowing he had no where to go.

* * *

When Natsu and Happy caught up to their friends, the first thing they heard was...

''So how about a smoooch as thanks, Lucy-san?''

''How about no?!''

Now this would have really been confusing, but they both recognized the first voice and had a feeling what was going on. That was why neither were surprised when they saw Taurus practically fawning over Lucy seconds later.

''I'm guessing that's usual?'' Gray asked after Lucy dismissed her spirit.

''Yeah, way, _way_ too usual...'' She sighed in exasperation.

''I knew that guy was a pervert.'' Happy deadpanned.

Riku looked back at them 'We were just about to go look for you two.'

''Really? What happened?''

''Turns out there were more Eisenwald members here-I guess they tried to plan for a whole lot of trouble.'' Belle explained. ''We got info from one of the guys we beat, none of them had Lullaby. It was supposed to be with the group at the station.''

''Wait, what? But that breezy bastard didn't have it either.'' Natsu frowned, he had tried to make sure of as much earlier and thus it was clear to him.

''That's just it, he wouldn't tell us how but there's still one of them out there taking the flute to play it at the meeting.'' The female cat went on.

''Gotcha, so if we go to Clover, we can catch 'em!''

''Exactly,'' Erza affirmed. ''As it so happens, we were able to find how the group we defeated arrived here.''

She gestured to a big wide rock, bringing attention to the car lying in its shade.

Natsu stiffened ''A-a car?! You don't mean...?''

''We don't have time to waste, so suck it up, you're coming too.'' Gray said flatly.

The teen looked at Riku for help, but the latter shook his head, knowing his fellow dragon slayer was thinking about the platform 'My spell's not nearly as fast as a car, Natsu. I don't like this either but he's right, we're pressed for time.'

''Aw, man...!''

''Oh, would you grow up?'' Lucy said irritably. ''Riku's not complaining so you don't have a leg to stand on. Anyway, this is really important, take it seriously.''

''That's right, now go. Or would you like me to act on the warning I gave you both in Magnolia?'' Erza demanded.

Natsu cringed, because he had a bad feeling what that would entail. ''I'm going, I'm going!''

With that, they were soon all in the car but it wasn't too long before Natsu looked a lot like he did in the train.

''Seriously?! The car's not even moving yet!'' Lucy exclaimed.

Belle sighed''With Natsu, it's like even the thought of being on transportation is enough to get him sick.''

''...Wow, just wow.''

Gray took the driver's seat ''All right, everyone ready?''

* * *

As it so happened, the remaining member the team was tracking was none other than Kageyama. He hadn't thought they'd have to use the emergency plan (he was selected because his magic gave him a good advantage at stealth) but then again, he never expected that they would have to deal with Fairy Tail. As much as he hated to admit it, with members like that he could see why the guild had such fame.

It was night time when he made it to Clover, soon being able to arrive just out the hall where the guildmasters were.

He heard a laugh from somehwere nearby, making him look over to find an old man in an orange and blue outfit reading an issue of Sorcerer Weekly that had a bunch of pictures of young women.

Makarov grinned to himself as he flipped a page. He had been deciding what to do after getting a letter from Mira about Natsu, Gray, Erza and Riku forming a team. Quite frankly, it had him plenty worried. This group included some of his biggest troublemakers and for all Erza's behavior, sometimes she could be as bad as them. He wasn't too concerned about Riku, knowing the boy could handle himself just fine.

Truth be told, when he got the news the first thought that came to mind had to do with the trouble he expected from this team. He had sent a letter back to find out just what was going on at the home front when he remembered the magazine he had earlier and he decided to read it to pass the time.

But it was moments later that he noticed Kageyama...

* * *

When the team arrived, it didn't take them long to spot the dark mage holding Lullaby before Makarov. And it was clear he was about to play it.

''Gramps!''

But just then, Kageyama winced and the man realized that his injuries had caught up to him. After all, not only did he have to fight for a good part of the day but he also had to deal with Erigor's punishment since the man blamed him for alerting Fairy Tail of their mission. He knew the injuries from his battle with Natsu were hardly as bad as the ones Erigor gave him.

All this aggravated him, he tried to explain that it really wouldn't make much sense to blame him but Erigor wouldn't hear it. And if that weren't bad enough, his guildmates just laughed at the whole damn thing-not one of them considered helping him. Sure, he knew Erigor was feared in the guild but he had acted to help them more than once in the past (even when the issue had to do with their guild's ace) so it was disappointing to say the least.

It also made him think of something else, he was doing all this for people who treated him that badly. Would it really change anything? No...no, it had to...right?

''Are you all right?''

Makarov's voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he quickly mustered a positive response, though the man didn't seem convinced. Kageyama could imagine how bad he looked right now, he could barely stand.

Makarov was about to press on but then noticed what was apparently his guild's newest team hurrying over.

''Oh, good timing, you all. Would you help me with him?''

''No way, you don't know who he is!'' Happy said at once.

''Now, now it's fine-I'm not sure what happened but it's no reason to leave him like this, is it?'' Makarov could tell Kageyama was badly injured and if he didn't get any help, it would most definitely put his life at risk.

Riku didn't like this either but it wasn't exactly time to explain what they had been through. He couldn't see how pressing on and trying to force the matter would help. Also, if they left Kageyama in this state how would they be better than him or his comrades?

The thought spurred him into action.

Kageyama's eyes widened as Riku helped him sit up ''W-what're you doing?'' His hands tightened almost reflexively around Lullaby. ''You...you're not stopping me!''

He was stumped when Riku seemed to ignore him, tearing out a part of his shirt before pointing at Kageyama's torso, making the man glance over. He was not surprised to see that one of his wounds had re-opened and was now bleeding. ''...Why do you care?''

Riku sighed before opening a gate around Kageyama, leaving the man to yelp as he was lifted into the air. The brunet calmly wrapped the makeshift bandage around the injury before canceling the spell.

Makarov smiled at the brunet, approval clear in his eyes before looking at Kageyama, who was scowling as they had been able to take Lullaby. ''Do you always expect a person to need a reason to help others?''

''Yeah, we're not just going to leave someone like this.'' Belle added.

''Quit acting tough, you're not getting anywhere like that.'' Gray pointed out.

''S-shut up! I'm not...I'm not going to stop here!'' Kageyama snapped.

''That plan can't be worth this, what good is it going to do?'' Lucy demanded, he stilled at the question.

''Let's say for a moment you do pull this off, what do you think is going to happen afterwards?'' Erza thought all Eisenwald's scheme would lead would be an even worse life of crime. It was senseless. ''After all that death, do you honestly think everything is just going to improve? Life is far from that simple.''

Kageyama's fist clenched as those words sank in, he knew...he knew they were right in a way. But still...

''Nothing is going to change.'' Makarov chipped in. ''You can't change the fact that those who are weak might remain weak. If you think about it, we humans are weak and our insecurities gave birth to guilds, and they're why we have friends who we even call family. When we're around family, it's easy to think on the positive scale. Let's put it in another way, if we're clumsy, we bump into things but as long as as we believe and hope for a better future, then it doesn't matter if we stumble into messes. We have to choose our paths and live our lives to the fullest to reach that future. Don't let that accursed flute block you from seeing such a future.''

Kageyama lowered his head, shaking. Those words were really moving. And he could see that even if they hadn't been happy with it, part of the reason Fairy Tail helped him was Makarov himself. They trusted his Did he really have chance at such a future?

He...wanted to believe that.

''Way to go, Gramps!'' Natsu grinned.

Erza hugged him, his head hitting her armor as she smiled ''Master, your words were so inspiring!''

''Yeah, that was great!'' Happy beamed.

''I'll say...'' They were joined by two men, one was tall and wore sunglasses with a hat, the second was fat and bald. He looked like a crossdresser, even wearing lipstick to boot. ''...you've still got a way with words, you old dog.''

''Yes, as expected of Makarov!'' The second man smiled.

''Who are they?'' Lucy asked.

''That's Master Goldmine of Quattro Cerberus.'' Belle said, nodding at the first man. ''The other one is Blue Pegasus' Guild Master, Bob.''

She raised an eye, seeing the second man trying to flirt with the boys. ''...Really?''

Makarov looked back at Lullaby ''Now let's leave any more talk for later. About this thing...''

Then, suddenly Lullaby's eyes lit up and it began to emit an aura. ''Honestly, humans really are pathetic. It takes something like this to please them...I've had enough! I'll just devour you all myself!''

At the declaration, the power around the flute grew much more and it turned into a three eyed monster that towered over everyone.

''Whoa, what is this?!'' Happy recoiled.

''Oi, you're the ones who knew about this thing!'' Gray told Kageyama.

''No! I'm just as shocked as you all are. I only knew about its song!''

''It's living magic.'' They looked at Bob in surprise. ''I've heard that the demons of Zeref have a variety of abilities, even different forms. You can sense that power, can't you? It looks like the forbidden Black Magic.''

''Yeah, all the info we have on his work and actions is centuries.'' Goldmine grunted. ''I'd say we're looking at Lullaby's true form.''

''Now who should I eat first?'' Lullaby wondered, seeing that everyone who had been in the building had noticed it and were now looking in on shock and varying amounts of fear.

Erza looked back at the rest of the group ''You have to get everyone to safety!''

''I don't think so!'' Lullaby raised its head, a spell circle appeared before it fired blasts of power in many directions, one even destroyed a mountaintop.

''Then we'll just have to stop you!'' Erza requipped a sword before slicing at the blasts in her way and similarly Natsu overpowered others with a Fire Dragon's Roar. Belle deflected the rest with Mirror Water.

Then, Erza, Natsu, Gray and Riku charged at Lullaby. Erza requipped her Heaven's Wheel Armor while Riku prepared his sword and Gray created a bow and arrow of ice before firing the attack at Lullaby's head.

Natsu ran up Lullaby's arm and nailed its head with a Fire Dragon's Claw. Erza proceeded to unleash Blumenblatt. Riku created a big black beam that hit Lullaby repeatedly, this was Dark Dragon's Moonlight Blast.

Lullaby snarled ''Damn you!''

It fired several magic blasts at them but Riku stopped this cold with Dark Dragon's Negative Gate. The others attacked then...

''Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!''

''Pentagram Sword!''

''Ice Make: Battle Axe!''

''They work so well together...'' Lucy trailed off, looking on in awe.

''...Amazing...'' Kageyama uttered. That was something everyone agreed to, they could hear the guild masters talking about how good they thought the four were doing.

Happy had a thought ''Lucy, why aren't you fighting?''

''Erm, well...My spirits aren't exactly available right now, plus I'm not sure how they can help against that thing.''

''Excuses, excuses...'' He returned teasingly.

Lucy scowled ''I don't see you fighting there, cat! Besides, how come you're not asking Belle?''

''I'm running pretty low on power so I don't think I can do much now.'' The female cat spoke up before he could respond. Her training had helped boost her reserves but of course, everyone had their limits.

''Oh...'' Now the blonde felt bad, especially after thinking of all what Belle pulled today. ''...I didn't mean it like that...''

''Ah, don't worry about it. Happy just gets way too much of a kick winding people up.''

When Lullaby made to advance towards them, it turned out that the demon couldn't. Why? It ran into a barrier created by runes. And this brought attention to another factor, the barrier even kept a lot of the damage from the battle at bay.

''He even got to set up something like this?'' Kageyama uttered, sounding impressed.

''Your kids really are something else, Makarov.'' Goldmine stated.

''Yup, don't you ever underestimate them.'' The man grinned, you're always going to be in for a rude awakening.

Gray began to smirk as he looked at Riku ''Good thinking.'' Lullaby snarled as it looked back at them. ''Now then, try this!''

With a wave of his hand, the ice mage froze the demon's legs. Lullaby struggled as the ice shook from its efforts ''This won't stop me!''

Riku leveled his great sword before drawing on his magic. He was cloaked in a black aura and he charged at the enemy, he landed a series of powerful strikes enhanced by his magic. He finalized these moves by an extra powerful strike that created a multitude of blasts of darkness that struck Lullaby then. This was one of the newer techniques Riku developed since picking up the sword, Demolition Wave.

Lullaby grunted in anger, they could feel the power gathering around it ''I will finish you...!''

''Is it going to try to use the cursed song?'' One of the observers wondered.

''This rune barrier protected us before but can it stop something like this?'' Another added.

As they began to fret, wondering what to do. Lullaby let out a roar, but it now sounded more frustrated ''I...I can't! Why?!''

''We punched many holes into you by now. No way your trick is gonna work!'' Natsu informed.

''Damn you!'' The demon swiped at the boy, who jumped up to dodge, seeing Lullaby fire up more blasts next at the four of them. They defended to the best of their ability before Gray went back on the offense.

''Ice Make: Lance!''

Lullaby let out another roar as the barrage struck then but it couldn't retaliate as Erza kept the assault up by using her Pentagram Sword, striking the demon hard with a numerous of blades. Riku blasted their enemy with Abyss Claw. At the same time, Natsu created two spheres of fire in his palms, merging them into Fire Dragon't Brilliant Flame.

Lullaby crashed down hard, soon fading away back to the flute form. This elicited cheers from many of those present.

''They did it!''

''Yeah, way to go!''

''Damn, that was impressive!''

Happy and Belle went to their respective partner with their own congratulations while Lucy and Makarov smiled, more than pleased with the result.

''You look pretty relieved, Master.'' Happy noted.

''Oh, you have no idea...once things settled, I was almost sure we'd have to deal with more trouble and damage to everything in sight.'' Makarov deadpanned. Riku's rune barrier was an unexpected boon in that it also left the meeting hall protected, much to general relief.

Given their guild's history with destruction of property, Happy thought it was hard not to understand the man's concerns. ''...That makes sense. But hey, everything worked out.''

This sentiment seemed to be shared among many as they were full of praise for the Fairy Tail group, some even elevating their opinion of the guild. Including Kageyama, who had decided to take reponsiblity for his crimes before starting a fresh new page, feeling inspired because of the day. They hoped he would do well.

Mira thought this new team could eventually turn out to be the strongest in the guild and it was looking more and more like she was right. They were certainly off to a very good start.

* * *

_Well, that's that. _

_I hope it was good. By the time I realized the way I spun things required a few more adjustments, I was half-way done with the chapter but there we go. Next chapter starts back at the guild and more of the interactions there before launching into the Galuna Island Arc. _

_Oh, before I forget to mention this again, the gates Riku uses for teleporting are actually derived from Dark Dragon's Negative Gate. It's something that came along with training and trying to make the most of his magic. But that's a recently discovered ability so he's careful about using it, hence why Riku didn't try to take Lullaby with another gate right away. _

_Hmm, that's all I had to say but if there's any questions, feel free to ask. Thanks for reading and I hope you keep it up, till next time! _


	5. Chapter 5

_Well, it's great to see the story gathering this much interest. Thanks for everyone who's read up to this point. Now, as they say, on with the show!_

* * *

After the turnout of the rescue mission, the guild masters were more than happy to offer the Fairy Tail group a ride back to Magnolia, reasoning that it was the least they could do.

Makarov was as happy as he could be about the whole deal, having feared the worst only for his concerns to be averted. This was met by a mixture of exasperation and annoyance (Natsu and Gray) and shock-mostly from Lucy- who was reminded again of how destructive most of the group could be.

Things settled down to a more sedate pace. The group undertook a couple of more jobs together successfully, though unfortunately they couldn't always avoid the damage problems.

''I guess that one time was a fluke, huh?'' Nab teased Natsu. The story of their last job had gotten around the guild by now.

The teen bristled ''Hey, at least we actually do some work!''

''Don't say it like that! I'm waiting for the job that's perfect for me!''

''Yeah, yeah, like we haven't heard that one before...''

''He does have a point, you know.'' A teen with orange hair tied in a spiky pony tail remarked, this was Jet, a mage specializing in speed magic.

''Shut up!'' Nab retorted.

Lucy rolled her eyes as they began to argue, she wouldn't be surprised if it evolved into another brawl soon. She quickly learned that Happy and Belle had been absolutely correct and brawls were rather common in the guild.

Belle spotted a familiar wooden puppet nearby, making her perk up and fly closer, soon finding its owner. A mage dressed up in a knight outfit, with a helmet mostly covering his eyes. ''Hi, Bickslow!''

He looked over at her and grinned ''If it isn't Belle! Been a while, huh?''

''Yup, so you're all back now?''

''As it so happens, yes.'' A new voice answered, making her look over as they were joined by a teen with long green hair.

''Hey, Freed!''

He smiled at the exuberant greeting ''Good to see you again, Belle.''

* * *

''Then he actually had the gall to act all mad when the mess could've been averted if he hadn't played that stupid prank and gotten us kicked out of the shop. What was I supposed to do? I needed to find those shoes.'' A girl with long brown hair and a green dress told Mira with a huff. Her name was Evergreen.

Mira laughed a bit ''Typical Bickslow. At least you found some very good replacements and made sure he'd help you.''

She smirked ''Actually, that was satisfying...''

Gray noticed Riku making his way across a few members ''Yo, Elfman's looking chipper. I'm guessing you two had another sparring session?''

The brunet nodded 'He wanted to try something out.'

''Oh yeah? What happened?''

Riku looked exasperated 'His first idea didn't work so he wanted to try using the different properties of his take-overs. Which actually sounded good, till I realized he didn't exactly think how that was supposed to work...His newest attack wound up with me having to pull him out of a tree before it even really started.'

Gray chuckled ''Sounds like Elfman all right...''

''Laxus!''

The two started at the cry and looked at Natsu, seeing him staring down a young man with spiky blond hair who was on the second floor.

Riku raised an eye upon noticing the teen's expression 'He wouldn't...?'

''Who're you kidding, man? He would and we both know it.'' Gray deadpanned.

Natsu quickly wound up proving their rising suspicion true. ''Fight me!''

The blond rolled his eyes ''I told you already, give it a rest, Natsu.''

''No way, I want to fight!'' He jumped up and raised a fist. Laxus spared him an annoyed look before aiming his hand. A second later, Natsu was struck down by a bolt of lightning.

''Somethings really never change.'' Evergreen shook her head.

''A little much, don't you think?'' Makarov asked Laxus.

''With idiots like that, it's just necessary. It's not my fault he won't take a hint, Gramps.''

''Fair point.'' The guild master conceded the point. After all, this was far from the first time such an event took place. Laxus wasn't the only one who had to be on the receiving end of Natsu's attempts to drag a fight out. Even found he found the boy's persistent attitude annoying.

''He really should just lay off...'' Jet shook his head.

''I can't see that happening at all.'' Droy, one of his partners and a user of plant magic, said.

Laxus happened to notice Riku then, the latter smiled and waved to which he smirked and nodded back. Since only S-class mages were allowed on the second floor and he really didn't have much to do there at the moment, he decided to come down.

* * *

''Damn it...he just got lucky...''

''You know, you should just be glad he left it at that. The old Laxus would've really done a number on you, remember?'' Happy pointed out as Natsu groused about his sudden defeat.

''Seriously, you had that one coming anyway.'' Gray stated.

Lucy blinked ''What does that mean? Laxus seems nice enough to me.''

She hadn't actually met their guild master's grandson yet but she was introduced to the Raijinshuu, his closest friends. They were certainly friendly and going by what they told her, Laxus seemed like an all right kind of guy. He was currently talking to Riku. The two clearly got along well. He seemed to be fairly close to Belle too, judging by the greeting they exchanged once she joined them.

''Well he is now, generally. He used to be a pretty big jerk before, Riku made friends with him and he's a lot better off.'' Happy informed.

Gray nodded ''He was a real pain before-a lot happened around then but Riku really helped him out, they've been friends ever since.''

''Yup, thanks to that-we've really gotten to know him and the Raijinshuu. That's why those six get along so well.'' Happy added.

The celestial mage glanced back at the group in the question ''I see...''

She was distracted when a girl with blue hair called her, this was Levy McGarden, whom she had met earlier today. The two had bonded quickly over their love of books and Levy had been very interested to hear that Lucy was writing a novel, leading the other girl to promise to let her be the first to read it. The two girls happily fell into another talk about books, delighted to discover that they had read a lot of the same novels.

* * *

The next day...

Levy had been on her way to the guild when she noticed Cubelios slithering near Riku and Belle's place, circling towards the garden. Curiosity prompted her to follow the snake, leading her to find Riku standing near some of the fruit planted nearby with Erza, Erik and Belle as Cubelios stopped near them.

''Good morning, what's going on?'' Levy saw the answer to her own question when she spotted the two baskets hanging nearby which held a lot of fruit. ''Oh, so you're harvesting now? Looks like a good haul.''

''Oh, it certainly is.'' Erza stated as she placed some strawberries in a bag she was holding before taking a bite out of one. ''Mm, amazing!''

Riku looked amused 'That's what you say every time.'

''That's because it's true.'' She returned without missing a beat. It was something they were used to, after all, everyone at the guild knew how much she loved strawberries.

Riku had taken it upon himself to learn how to grow fruit ever since Belle came to like it. Thus he made the fields once they were settled in their home. An unexpected boon happened after Makarov made a suggestion to sell some of their harvest, the idea worked out well and now it was a regular arrangement for them to divide their fruits to keep it up. The duo also made sure to divide the strawberries so Erza could have some, much to her delight.

''You know, if you're going to start looking into getting cake like last time, maybe Riku can make it for you.'' Levy suggested. Years ago, Erza had been sad and nothing they did could cheer her up. Riku wound up fixing that when he decided to try making her favorite cake. It was his first time even making any dessert so the result was somewhat messy but Erza had been thrilled. Levy thought the whole thing was very sweet.

''Oh, don't be silly. While I would undoubtedly enjoy that, I can't trouble him for it now.'' Erza stated.

''I'm sure you would, but he wouldn't mind.'' Erik stated.

Riku was about to agree but he was distracted when Belle flew over with a basket in hand, reminding him that they should finish putting their haul away. Their friends offered to help and so they all headed back to Riku and Belle's house.

Levy began to smile as she watched Erza talking to Riku ahead of them ''...I know Erza's going to be mad when she finds out but the bet really is understandable when you see them together.''

Erik snorted ''Tell me about it. I know for a fact that there are even people in town betting on if and how they'd get together.''

The bet had been something started by Cana a while back but it was soon catching on through the guild. She had been careful to make sure neither Riku or Erza found out but quite a bunch of people had decided to get in on this, betting on the circumstances should they get together.

''Somehow, that doesn't surprise me.'' Levy remarked. Left unsaid was the fact that both would be leaving quite a few people disappointed if the bet came to pass. ''It's amazing how things come together. You know, I wouldn't have thought we'd all get along so well when we first met.''

Erik cracked a smirk ''Same here. Guess it's true, you never know what life would bring.''

Levy used to be shy when they were little and Erik and Erza both used to be fairly closed off. Erik had arrived at the guild sometime after them so the problem was just that he needed a little to get used to things. Erza was rather socially awkward, she hardly spoke to anyone. For quite sometime, Riku was the only one she was really even a little comfortable with and even then, she could be curt with him too.

Riku was similarly guarded around people, he rarely even spoke unless spoken to and he hardly ever smiled. But he took somewhat differently to Fairy Tail in that it had him intrigued, he seemed more open to learning about the guild and all its members. Slowly but surely, he began to open up to everyone. When one looked at it like that, they had truly come a long way since.

* * *

''How do they not get tired of this?'' Laxus asked Makarov flatly as they both observed a few other members in a brawl.

''I don't think we'll ever find an answer to that.'' He returned, exasperation clear in his tone.

The blond glanced at the entrance ''Well, look who it is.''

Makarov blinked and followed his line of sight only to find a man clad in a dark blue cloak, with a green mask that covered his face, only leaving his eyes visible. This was Mystogan, one of the guild's class mages along with Laxus, Erza and Mira. ''Oh, good to see you again.''

''Likewise Master, Laxus.'' He returned, to which the latter offered a lazy wave. ''I see things are about as lively as ever.''

''That's one way to put it.'' Evergreen said with a scoff as she joined them, shortly followed by Lucy, both wanting to avoid the brawl.

''How about you take it easy? You know, I never did get a chance to see how you'd do in a drinking contest.'' Cana stated.

''I wouldn't be opposed a break...but that would just serve as a reason to leave.''

She gave him a flat look at the response ''You're still a stuck in the mud, Mystogan.''

''I'm pretty sure it's just that he has more sense to actually get in on those. As would anyone with common sense.'' Evergreen said dryly.

''Got that right.'' Laxus grunted.

Mira spoke up when the new arrival noticed Lucy ''Ah, this is our new member, Lucy.'' She smiled as the two exchanged greetings, though what Mystogan said left her curious.

''Ah, so you're the one from the stories?''

Lucy blinked ''Stories?''

''Something I heard recently-a couple of incidents involving our guild.''

Laxus looked amused and Evergreen smiled ''Oh yeah, I remember those...'' The first looked at Lucy. ''...apparently, people are under the impression that you knocked the vulcan out with a single kick.''

''Wait, what?!'' The girl gaped. ''That's crazy!''

''Maybe not so much. Given that people remember the tidal wave back in Hargeon and you being there, they assumed you were the cause.'' Mystogan added.

Lucy cringed, remembering what Aquarius did that day. She had to admit, Mystogan had a point. Well, at least that powerful attack would explain this ridiculous impression of her. ''...Okay, that's technically true...but still...''

''Rumors do tend to spin things out of hand.'' Mira mused.

''I'll say,'' Makarov agreed. ''In fact, those are positively tame to some of the stories I heard...''

* * *

Lucy glanced back at Mystogan's figure curiously ''So does he always go around with that mask?''

''For as long as we've known him.'' Mira replied. ''Only Master, Riku and Belle know what he really looks like...I'm not sure but Laxus might too, he never said much about it though.''

''I actually asked him about that,'' Cana piped up. ''Laxus just said he found out by chance but he's keeping quiet because Mystogan is convinced it's best that way.''

''Oh, I see...''

The subject of their conversation was currently talking to Riku and Belle, the latter of whom had just finished telling him about the recent success with their training.

''I'm glad to hear it. Your hard work has certainly paid off.'' He remarked.

'Props to the teacher.' Riku half-smiled.

''Yeah, it all worked because of you!'' Belle added and their friend inclined his head in thanks.

Erza smiled as she noted their interaction as she enjoyed the strawberry cake Mira made for her. It was good to see how close those three had become. No one could be quite sure why Mystogan had kept so much to himself at first and it had taken quite some time to get him to talk to everyone, but they knew he cared about them and the guild as a whole. Erza knew many of their friends didn't like that he was still so guarded but she thought this was a big improvement from before. She couldn't help but wonder why he seemed awkward around her even after becoming friends with Riku and Belle, though she doubted she would get an answer. He was still evasive around the issue but she hoped she hadn't offended him in some way.

''Say, Erza...'' She looked over to see Elfman walking over. ''...did you see Natsu anywhere?''

She blinked ''Now that you mention it, no...at least not since this morning.''

''Yeah, same here...he was saying something about getting stronger so I thought I'd ask him if he wanted to join me and Riku in training.'' Elfman admitted.

The redhead smiled ''That's nice of you. Well, I'm sure he'll turn up eventually.''

* * *

Freed nodded in approval when Riku finished creating a rune barrier ''Well done. And in such good time too, you really have gotten much better about this.''

'Well, it seemed like an interesting ability so I wanted to learn. Besides, it helps when there's a really good teacher.' The brunet returned, to which he smiled.

''Natsu?'' Both looked back at Makarov, seeing him cock his head. ''Oh yeah, I think he and Happy high-tailed it out of here before. He said something about plans for getting stronger.''

''I see...I wonder what that's about.'' Erza mused.

''Natsu and making plans?'' Gray snorted. ''Yeah, that'll work.''

''You don't have to say it like that.'' Erza scolded. ''It's good that he wants to work and improve.''

''No, Gray's right. Since when does he plan anything?'' Freed reminded.

''Yeah, with him it's typically some hare-brained idea. That usually equates to charging in, guns blazing.'' Laxus drawled.

'You're just glad that he isn't here to bug you guys about a fight again.' Riku stated.

The blond didn't bother denying that ''Doesn't mean I'm wrong anyway.''

''It's that bad?'' Lucy had to ask. She did see proof that Laxus was right, she couldn't but wonder though.

''Afraid so. The problem with what Erza's saying is that he's been way too impatient to really work at training.'' Erik informed.

''The end result should be something to see, anyway. That moron always causes a mess.'' Gray stated.

Lucy would soon come to find out what those words meant...

* * *

Everything seemed to be all right at first, they noticed Natsu and Happy come back to the guild but nothing out of the ordinary happened. The duo traded some expectant looks, the former pausing upon seeing Mystogan talking to Riku and Belle.

''I'm sorry about this.'' He heard the S-class mage say.

But Riku shook his head 'Don't worry, we're the ones who offered to help, remember? Just leave it to us.'

''Yup, we'll be fine!'' Belle added.

''Thank you...''

''Oi, what're you guys up to?'' Natsu cut in.

''We're going on a job.'' The female cat replied, holding up the request in question.

Happy began to read it ''...An investigation?''

''The client wants someone to deal with this problem he's been having so he can finally start his own company. It says he'll explain more when we meet up.'' Belle picked up her bag. ''See you all later!''

''Right.'' Erza returned.

''Good luck!'' Mira smiled as the two waved before heading off.

''How come it's just the two of them going?'' Happy wondered.

''Well, the client asked for Riku specifically so they agreed it would be fine.'' Lucy stated. In her opinion, Riku and Belle were as much of a package deal as Natsu and Happy. She couldn't imagine either duo working without their respective partner on requests.

''Che, I thought we could find another job now...'' Natsu grunted. ''...well, things will work out!''

* * *

It wasn't until night time that everyone found out what Natsu's new plan entailed...

Lucy arrived at her apartment to find Natsu and Happy there, clearly having been broken again. Though she scolded them, of course it didn't seem to do much of anything.

''...What're you both doing anyway?''

''Training!'' Happy replied as he hefted a dumbbell about his size while Natsu was doing push-ups on the rug.

''We've gotta get stronger if we want to beat Erza and Laxus!'' He added.

She frowned ''That's fine and all but why can't you do it in your home?!''

''Well, we wanted to include you too. You're a part of the team after all.'' The dragon slayer replied. She gave him a puzzled look, only for him to hold up a pink dumbbell in response. ''How about it?''

''Not interested.'' She said flatly. This made her think back on Erik's words though, did this mean Natsu had changed his opinion on training?

''It's not just that. Look!'' Happy produced a job request.

''They want someone to break a curse on an island?!'' She exclaimed after reading it. ''Wait a minute, I checked the board before-this wasn't anywhere on it...''

''That might be because I took it from the second floor's board.''

''What?! But then that's an S-class request, right?'' Lucy blanched.

''Aye Sir!'' Happy chirped.

''Why are you so pleased?!''

''Aw, come on, Lucy. It's the best way to prove ourselves, if we do this job, I bet Master will see we're good enough for S-class!'' Natsu smirked.

''No, he wouldn't!'' She retorted, realizing that their friends had been right. Natsu really was too impatient. ''I don't want any part of this!''

''But...''

''No way, Natsu! This is crazy, you guys shouldn't have done this in the first place. You'll get in a whole lot of trouble!'' She scolded, turning her back to them. ''You're definitely on your own here.''

Both slumped at this and left the apartment, their expressions made her feel a little bad but not nearly enough to back down on this. Really, what were they thinking? This was idiotic, just thinking he could become S-class like that?

Shaking her head, the girl froze when she saw that they left the request paper here. ''Oh no! Why?! If people find out, they're going to think I'm involved too...!''

The blonde stopped upon seeing a familiar object drawn on the paper, something that freeze in her tracks. It couldn't be...!

But it was, part of the reward was a golden zodiac key!

Now she knew this was still a bad idea...but what were the odds of her finding another golden key so soon? Happy had given her Virgo's key a few days ago, having gotten it from Duke Everlue's place. But even that was very lucky...there were only twelve golden zodiac keys in existence. Lucy really doubted she could come across a chance like this again...she couldn't pass this up.

The thought cemented her decision and before she really knew it, she quickly packed a bag and hurried to catch up with Natsu and Happy.

''Guys, wait up!''

* * *

Some time later...

Belle exhaled as she put the staves they had just finished using in her personal dimension ''That takes care of that.''

'You good to keep going?' Riku wanted to ask.

''Sure am! Don't worry, I don't want to just watch while you take care of this.'' She assured. The female cat frowned as she glanced around at the barren area before their eyes. ''But man, this stuff sounds like a pain. Isn't there something else we can do beside close them up?''

'Mystogan said he's going to do something about the source-for now, I guess we'll keep it to damage control.' Riku offered.

''Yeah, probably for the best with this kind of damage...'' Belle grimaced. After all, the area around them had actually been part of a bountiful forest before...and yet look at it now, the difference was like night and day.

The two continued walking and Belle went on ''...so what do you think about the job anyway? This whole curse thing sounds weird.''

'Well, no wonder-I don't think we've ever come across something like that before. I can understand him being skeptic but if people have been afraid of the island where it's taken place for so long, there must be more to it.'

''True, I guess we'll find out when we get there.'' Belle said at last.

* * *

_Well, let's stop here. _

_I hope it was good. Hah, I wanted to try involving Mystogan more in general but I didn't think it would be this hard. It seemed a bit much to have him be relaxed around everyone but he's let up quite a bit here. But he's still guarded even around Riku and Belle. I hope I can do his character justice._

_Correct me if I'm wrong but from my understanding, Edolas has been sucking up magic through a whole bunch of Anima over time and Mystogan has been closing them up. Riku and Belle are helping him with that, but they still don't know the whole story. They decided to help so he doesn't overwork himself again (like what happened when they began getting to know him) and they trust him to handle things on his end. I'm going to explain more about their new job and how it turned out like this next chapter, but yeah, it basically leads to them going to Galuna Island too. _

_The reason Laxus is different here has to do with an incident a few years back, which lead to Riku losing his voice and eventually, the two of them becoming friends. This, in turn, helped the Raijinshuu connect to the guild. So far as the four of them are concerned, Riku and Belle are honorary members of their team. The fourth arc is going to be an original one of mine, which is where I'll explain just what went down back then and the consequences of the incident will be revealed._

_Well, that's all I have to say. Reviews will be much appreciated, I'd like to hear your opinions on the story so far, if you don't mind. Till next time!_


	6. Chapter 6

_kpop1392as: Hehe, well I'm glad you liked the changes I came up with so far. I really planned to shake things up a little after all._

* * *

''You idiots are going to regret this.'' Gray ground out.

Lucy looked away awkwardly while Happy merely waved a paw as he said ''Relax, it'll be fine!''

The three of them, along with Natsu were on a boat heading to Galuna Island. There was only one sailor willing to take them because of the rumored curse, if anything he was the one to ask them to help do something about it. He was apparently a former resident of the island but he left because he couldn't take anymore.

Gray had never been on board with any of this, though. In fact, he was sent by Makarov to bring Natsu, Happy and Lucy back to Magnolia. Natsu, who was of course too stubborn to simply quit, got the drop on him and knocked him out. The next thing the creation wizard knew, they were well on their way to Galuna, leaving Gray understandably angry.

''How the hell did those morons talk you into this anyway?'' He asked Lucy, ignoring Happy's protest at the insult. Natsu would naturally have done the same if it weren't for the fact that he was practically incapacitated. ''I thought you were more sensible than that.''

She laughed weakly ''Well...ah...''

''Lucy's just greedy.'' Happy supplied.

''Hey!'' She glared at him.

''Well, it's true.'' He wheedled slyly. ''After all, you only agreed when you saw the reward!''

Lucy growled ''You little...''

Both were distracted though, when the sailor spoke up ''There it is...''

The three looked over, seeing that they were indeed approaching an island. Happy squinted ''So that's Galuna...it looks peaceful for an island that's been cursed for three years.''

''The curse is dangerous because it's so insidious.'' The sailor said quietly, glancing at his cursed arm. ''You have to keep your guard up no matter what.''

Gray was about to ask how the man knew that but then they all saw a massive tsunami surging towards the boat, to their shock. ''Oi, we gotta do something!''

''But what?!'' Lucy cried.

They had no time to figure anything out, for in moments, they were overcome by the wave...

* * *

When they woke up shortly afterwards, it was to find that they landed on Galuna Island's shore. Strangely enough, there was no sign of the sailor anywhere.

The group of four decided to look around the area, agreeing that it was best to find a settlement here for now.

''So you're gonna help after all? I knew you couldn't miss up on the chance, ice princess.'' Natsu smirked.

Gray's eye twitched ''I'm only here because I had no choice. But yeah, I won't let you make S-class before me, you idiotic pyro.''

''What was that?!''

''Let it go, Natsu. I bet Gray will be thanking us when we pull this off.'' Happy chirped.

That worked well as a distraction, getting Natsu to pause ''Oh yeah...can't wait to see their faces when we get back.''

''I can...'' Lucy muttered, frankly, she was far more worried about what their guildmates would do after they pulled this stunt.

* * *

As it so happened, the atmosphere in Fairy Tail was as tense as it could be after they discovered what happened. It turned out that a few townspeople had seen Happy flying away with the request. However, since the sight was hardly unusual, they hadn't given it much thought.

The atmosphere got worse as Gray had yet to come back or even send word back to the guild, leaving many to believe that he agreed to take part in the quest.

''What do we do?'' Mira asked Makarov, who scowled.

''Those reckless brats...''

''Oi, what's going on?''

Both started at the voice, turning around to see Laxus looking on curiously, seemingly having just arrived. ''What're you all so worked up about?''

''Natsu, Happy and Lucy stole one of the S-class request!'' Mira informed.

He arched an eye ''Huh, who knew...well, I can see those idiots pulling this stunt off but Lucy seemed more sensible than that.''

''Why are you so calm?!'' Macao demanded.

''Well, panicking isn't going to solve this, is it?'' He returned. ''Anyway Gramps, can't you just send someone to handle this?''

''I tried-Gray was supposed to but he never came back. It's been hours.'' Makarov explained. ''Laxus, you have to get them back!''

The blond sighed ''I figured you'd say that. Well...''

''There's no need.'' Erza walked over, there was a dark look in her eyes as her tone turned almost steel firm with determination. ''I'll take care of this.''

Seeing her now, many of those present would admit that they feared for their missing comrades...

* * *

By nightfall, the group of four had arrived at the village and once the guards checked for their guildmarks, they were allowed entry.

They were greeted by the village chief Moka and a few villagers. The man proceeded to explain how for some reason, they'd all gained some horrific deformed limbs, like those of a monster.

''This is horrible...'' Lucy trailed off.

''It get worse, Miss.'' Moka informed morosely. ''For centuries, our home has absorbed moon light, leaving it beautiful. But three years ago,the moon fell under evil magic and its light turned us into...into monsters.''

Gray blinked ''Wait, what do you...?''

The moon, which had been obscured by clouds earlier, became visible again. In a second, its light turned purple and Moka gasped ''Oh, no here it comes!''

He and the villagers began convulsing and groaning in terrible pain. Their bodies started to change, scales, spikes and fur coming to cover them, soon they looked like complete monsters.

''I apologize if this frightens you.'' Moka said at last.

''Nah, it's cool. We've seen worse stuff out there.'' Gray returned.

The two were surprised when Natsu's face lit up ''You guys look awesome!''

Everyone stared at him, stunned, but it was clear that the dragon was absolutely honest. He really liked these forms.

''Natsu, that's a horrible thing to say-this is the result of the curse. They don't want it!'' Lucy scolded.

''Oh, right...sorry.''

Moka cleared his throat and tried to get thing back on track, explaining how it did actually get worse. Not only were they turned to demons, they lose their minds and never change back. It was so bad that they could only killed those afflicted with the condition, to their shock. But it was clear that the villagers hated it too, they simply had no choice.

And the real surprise was that Moka had a picture of the sailor who brought them here, he was one of the people who died because of this madness. It was his own son, Bobo. They could really see why he had been so anguished earlier, he couldn't rest until his home was safe...

''At this rate, everyone will fall. Please, lift the curse!'' Moka pleaded.

''Sure, we've got it!'' Natsu promised.

''Aye Sir!'' Happy added while their friends nodded back. No one else would die to all this madness.

* * *

A problem arose right away when Moka stated that the only way to get rid of the curse was to destroy the moon. They were taken to a small hut to allow them some rest and shelter from the cursed light, lest they turn into demons too.

''Do we really have to do this?'' Happy asked.

Gray closed the window ''There has to be more to this, right...? I mean, destroying the moon...I don't see how you can go about it.''

''What do you mean? It's easy.''

He spared Natsu a skeptical look ''How's that?''

''It'll probably take a whole lot of attacks but I figured I can just fly with Happy.'' He stated simply.

The blue cat gave him a disbelieving look. ''There's no way it's that easy, Natsu.''

''Why are you even considering that in the first place?'' Lucy deadpanned.

''What're you guys talking about? We have to do this, it'll make Fairy Tail look bad otherwise!'' Natsu exclaimed.

''You already took that risk when you stole the request, genius.'' Gray reminded, making him scowl.

Lucy sighed ''Look, I don't see how we can destroy the moon. Let's assume for a moment that there's someone out there with a power to do it-there's no telling what could come of it. Let's start investigating tomorrow, I bet we can find the real reason behind the curse.''

The other three came to agree and so they prepared to turn in for the night...

* * *

Lucy made sure to have her teammates get up early, despite their groaning. But she didn't care, she could hardly sleep thanks to all their snoring so there!

The girl summoned her clock spirit Holorogium to carry her across, to her friends' chagrin. She had no intention of taking any chances with this strange curse though so she believed this was for the best.

Everything had seemed all right at first but then they were attacked by a giant rodent, which was oddly enough, dressed up in a maid costume. Natsu and Gray were able to defeat it with ease but then they saw that the rodent had come from a temple deep within the forest.

Natsu looked around the temple as they entered, excitement clear in his tone ''Man, I don't know why you keep freaking out so much, Lucy. S-class quests are the best!''

''It's a little something called common sense-not that you seem to know what having it is like!'' She said irritably.

''Ain't that the truth.'' Gray agreed dryly.

Lucy huffed ''Anyway, take this seriously! It's not like we're any closer to figuring things out, you know.''

''It's fine, it's fine. This'll be a breeze!'' Natsu declared.

The blonde sighed ''Why do I even bother...?''

''There were a bunch of moon symbols back at the village and now look at this...'' Happy trailed off, gesturing at the walls nearby.

Gray nodded a little, glancing at a wall that held a diagram of the phases of the moon ''It kinda looks like there's a theme here...wonder if it could have anything to do with the curse. That's how this whole thing started, right?''

''Aye...there has to be more to it though.'' The blue cat added.

Erza had gotten to force some pirates to take her there. They were frightened of the curse but that much more frightened of her, knowing they couldn't get out of this. Frankly, she was too angry with her friends to really care at the moment.

How dare they do such a thing? Rules were placed for a reason. S-class jobs were handled especially carefully because they were that dangerous. Admittedly, Lucy making this choice had surprised her but she could really see Natsu, Happy and even Gray going along with this.

What fools, one can't take any shortcuts to improve. If they wanted to take such jobs they have to prove themselves ready. They were even risking harming Fairy Tail and that was unforgivable.

She didn't care what excuse they could offer, they would answer for this.

* * *

A short while later, they fell down to a lower level when an impatient Natsu wound up destroying the floor. The temperature suddenly changed, becoming much colder for some reason. This prompted them to explore the area further and they soon discovered the reason.

It was a huge piece of ice, it almost seemed to glow in the dark. But that was hardly noticeable compared to what lay within it.

A monster that had fangs and claws, even trapped within the ice it exuded a powerful and dangerous presence.

''Whoa, what the heck...?'' Natsu stared.

''Deliora...''

He blinked and looked at Gray, whose eyes were locked on the ice structure, horror clear in his tone as he went on. ''...how is this possible?! Why is it here?''

Natsu, Happy and Lucy were understandably thrown for a loop, seeing Gray shaken up like this was rather odd. They had never seen him look so scared...

Happy decided to ask the question he thought they all wanted an answer to ''How do you know about that thing, Gray?''

But he didn't seem to be listening, his thoughts running a million miles per hour. Lucy stepped in front of him ''Hey, try to calm down. It doesn't look like it can do anything under all that ice.'' Gray took a fortifying breath. ''Good, now can you tell us about this monster?''

''...It's Deliora, the Demon of Destruction.'' He said grimly. ''Deliora destroyed my hometown ten years ago. I was the only survivor...my master Ur gave up her life to seal it away.''

''Your teacher must have been great.'' Happy stated.

Natsu was about to voice his agreement but then he heard the sound of footsteps ''Hey, someone's coming!''

Lucy looked alarmed, she quickly grabbed his hand and pulled him behind a big rock with her and the others.

''Why are we hiding?'' He asked only for her to shush him.

A girl with magenta hair and wore a black dress and matching shoes, a man with dark hair and big eyebrows along with a man that had some canine features along with dog ears on top of his hair made their way through the tunnel.

The three were Sherry, Yuka and Toby. The giant rat the group had encountered earlier was the girl's pet rat, Angelica. They were working under someone who called himself the Cold Emperor, his aim being to free Deliora from the ice. This angered Gray a lot but the others could only wonder how they would do such a thing in the first place.

''Okay...'' Happy spoke up once the three had left. ''...those guys are big weirdos.''

''I'll say. Especially the one with the pet rat.'' Lucy agreed. She began to think ''Natsu, let's say you wanted to melt the ice, how much power would it take?''

''A lot.'' He answered at once. ''That's not normal ice, I can feel plenty of power coming from it. I don't think they can use any plain old magic to free that monster.''

''That's just it.'' Gray's eyes narrowed. ''Ur used a forbidden spell called Iced Shell to stop Deliora, that ice is impossible to melt. How do they think that would work?''

''We can stay and find out.'' Lucy's suggestion earned groans from Natsu and Happy. ''Can you think of a better idea? We need to find out what's going on. Maybe those guys know something about the curse, we can't just rush into things.''

''Yeah...I want to get to the bottom of this.'' Gray declared.

* * *

Riku and Belle arrived at the island, not too far from the temple. The latter was looking around ''...You know, after all the horror stories we got this place looks normal.''

'Yeah, it really does make one wonder...' Riku trailed off.

The two had finished their investigation and gotten back to the client. The man wanted to run a trade business but one of the main routes for his ship involved this island and since there was all the talk of a curse, the sailors he hired wouldn't come near it. Once they explained the situation, the client managed to get a sailor to bring them close to the island. Belle waited for them to almost reach the island before lifting Riku off the boat, allowing him to recover some what from motion sickness so he could open up a gate to teleport them to their destination.

Belle tilted her head ''Riku, do you feel anything off about the island?'' She wasn't too surprised when he answered negatively. ''Well, it was worth a shot.''

Riku's dragon slayer magic made him a good sensor, at first they assumed he had the ability to sense darkness but experience proved that it was more along the lines of sensing malice. It only worked in specific situations and in a handful of times but there was no denying that it helped before. In Belle's opinion, if the curse was as dangerous as they heard, Riku might have been able to sense it.

'We're definitely missing something here. How about we keep continue looking for information now?' Riku suggested.

''Okay! We can split up and search then-we'll cover up a bigger area.'' Belle suggested. ''I'll meet you back here in say...two hours?''

The brunet nodded and in a moment, the duo went off own their way.

* * *

Later, when Riku had been heading back to meet up with his partner, he heard a lot of noise that made him stop in his tracks. The sight of what he could've sworn was magic being cast nearby made him head over to the area.

There were two girls on their knees at the area, one had pink hair and a giant rat next to her. The other was...

Riku blinked. Lucy? What was she doing here?

''Angelica, avenge me!''

The pink haired girl's cry made the rat jump into action. Riku's eyes narrowed as he gathered magic power into his hands...

* * *

Lucy cringed as Angelica charged at her, she was too tired to get away from that thing.

She couldn't believe it. The four of them had taken action at once upon learning that the Cold Emperor decided to destroy the village. Gray faced the man himself while Natsu dealt with Toby and Yuka. Things were already bad enough when she got carried away with Sherry and her pet as they intervened in their plans earlier. She knew trying to stop the two had been reckless but she had been desperate.

The blonde really thought things were looking up after she won her battle against Sherry but the result left her drained. And now...was she going to die like this?

If she had looked up then, she would have seen the three dark rays that appeared above her, blasting Angelica and Sherry.

Lucy's eyes widened when she heard the pink haired girl cry out, making her open her eyes then to see that both she and her pet were out cold. ''What...?''

She turned slightly at the sound of footsteps as a new arrival made his way through, her dark brown eyes meeting a pair of familiar vivid blue orbs.

''Riku?!''

So he was the one who intervened...thank goodness. Before the girl quite knew it, she was hugging the dragon slayer in happiness. ''Thanks. I really thought I was done for-great timing!''

Riku gave a small smile 'Well, it looked like you really worked hard.'

''Ehehe, you think so? Well, I tried...'' She beamed. ''...wait, what're you doing here?''

'That's what I want to ask you. Our job was supposed to be an investigation and it wound up leading us here. I didn't know there were jobs to this island with all this stuff about a curse going on.'

Lucy stiffened ''Erm, about that...''

He had been away when this whole mess started and unlike Natsu and Happy, he wouldn't steal a job he had no right to. She doubted her paid much attention to the S-class requests if he had no reason to. Of course he had no idea. How on Earthland could she explain this?

* * *

Erza had just been debating where to go looking for her wayward team next when she spotted a familiar purple form flying nearby. One who shouldn't have been here either.

''Belle!'' She called.

The cat blinked and turned back ''Erza! You've got a job here too?''

''Not quite-so that strange investigation you mentioned involves coming here?'' Erza asked, recalling seeing the job request with her before they left.

''Yup! Our client's trying to run some trade business but the routes he needs to use go through this area and everyone's too freaked out by this curse stuff to go at it. We've had to check a few routes before we made fully sure. He doesn't believe in it so he wants us to do something about this.''

''I see. That's understandable.'' Erza had a hard time believing in this curse too, it just seemed like plain hearsay. ''Then where's Riku?''

''Oh, by the other side on the beach. We split up to cover bigger area. So what's going on? If you aren't here on a job...''

''It's a bit of a long story. I'd rather not repeat myself so I'll explain when we find Riku.'' Erza stated.

Belle gave her a curious look ''Well, I'm supposed to meet him by the point we agreed on before. If that helps...?''

''It does. Lead the way, please.''

* * *

_Well, let's stop here. _

_I hope it was good. I wasn't sure what to do about this chapter for a while but this was what I came up with in the end. I plan for Erza, Riku and Belle to be brought up to speed next chapter so I'll be covering the stuff I left out then. Though Erza finding Lucy and the others is about to go down as you'd expect, it'll get better from there. _

_Anywho, thanks for reading and I hope you keep it up. Till next time!_


	7. Chapter 7

Riku led Lucy to the area where he and Belle agreed to meet earlier, learning of what transpired on his end since they left the guild.

''Oh, so that's why...well, your client's definitely a first. Everyone's so spooked by this curse that you'd think it was the end of the world.'' Lucy mused.

'He was trying to figure it out on his own, he thought there was practically no proof and most of the fear was caused by rumors but no one wanted to help him. He couldn't exactly make it here on his own.' Riku explained. 'In the end, with this situation-the best thing he could do was file a request.'

''Brave man...'' Lucy's words died in her throat when she saw Belle-mainly due to the person accompanying her.

Erza...Lucy held back a squeak at the look the redhead gave her then. Bravery was one thing the blond wasn't feeling right now! Now she really understood why Erza could strike fear within the guild so easily.

Riku gave her a puzzled look, following her line of sight until he saw his partner coming with Erza. He glanced between the girls '...What's going on?'

''No idea.'' Belle was clearly just as puzzled. ''Lucy-that look on your face...''

''I imagine that would be guilt, Belle. And she _should_ be guilty.'' Erza stated, leaving the girl to shift uncomfortably while Riku and Belle exchanged puzzled looks. ''This happened after you two left, here's the situation.''

The explanation really made things fall into place for the duo, who could only stare at Lucy in surprise when Erza brought them up to speed.

''Okay, I can totally believe that Natsu and Happy would be so reckless as to pull something like that off but you should know better. S-class jobs are super dangerous for a reason. Besides, it's totally gonna hurt the guild if you can't do it.'' Belle pointed out.

''I couldn't agree more.'' Erza added firmly.

Lucy cringed ''I...didn't think that far ahead.'' Really, after seeing the reward she couldn't pass the chance up.

Riku sighed 'Well, there's no point in complaining now. We should be focusing on how to fix this.'

''Indeed. Lucy, where are Natsu and the others?'' Erza demanded.

''Well...''

* * *

And so Lucy took them to the village, explaining what happened on their end.

As they discovered earlier, the Cold Emperor, the leader of the strange trio from the cave was Lyon Vastia-a mage who Gray was familiar with. They hadn't had a chance to ask how the two knew each other before the Cold Emperor simply disregarded them before ordering an attack on the village for trying to interfere with their mission. That was when they were able to clarify the group's intentions, the ritual they had seen earlier was to melt the massive block of ice.

Unlike Gray who wouldn't condone the idea of the Iced Shell being melted, Lyon was out to do exactly that-intending to defeat Deliora. But given what Gray told them of the demon, they wondered if Lyon could pull that off. Regardless, the group stepped up to challenge them and Gray attacked Lyon, only for the latter to counter with his own ice magic. Happy, Natsu and Lucy had to leave to chase after Sherry and the others and warn the villagers while Gray and Lyon battled.

Lucy tried to set them up with a pitfall trap (and she found herself annoyed when Riku, Belle and Erza were just as skeptic of the plan as the others had been). Though it didn't work since the three arrived on the flying rat, holding a bucket of a corrosive jelly like substance. Natsu burned it up before it could cause any harm, but Sherry tried to chase the fleeing villagers on the rat only for Lucy to attempt to distract her, which lead to her being carried away to the beach where they had their battle and Riku found her.

The celestial mage told the villagers about the new arrivals before asking about their friends, only to be surprised to learn that only Gray and Happy were here. They had seen Natsu rush off earlier but no one had any idea where he was now.

The four headed to the hut where their two friends were last seen, finding Happy talking to Gray, who was leaning against a wall.

''Hey, there you are.''

Both started at Lucy's voice, stiffening when they saw Erza's expression. Experience had told them this look only meant bad news-and given the situation...

Yeah, they were in trouble. No doubt about it.

''Gray, Happy. I trust you know why I'm here?'' She said, though her tone indicated it wasn't a question.

''A-aye...'' The latter managed weakly.

Gray looked similarly unnerved for a moment before shaking himself ''Look, I know taking the job was wrong but that doesn't matter now...''

''Of course it does!'' Erza cut in at once, outraged that he could even say that. ''You all not only broke the guild's rules but betrayed Master Makarov as well. That's why the four of you are going back to the guild with me.''

''No way!'' He fired back, getting to his feet. ''We can't just leave in this situation!''

''You can and you will.'' She said coolly. In her opinion, it was lucky that Riku and Belle's job had to do with this island anyway but it wasn't the time to explain that. Thus she only added ''This job should be left to experienced mages to begin with-someone else can finish it.''

''You don't know that!'' Gray snapped. ''Lyon's practically lost it-he's so convinced that he can pull his stupid mission for some reason. He doesn't even care who he hurts! That monster's here too-that moron might as well be spitting on what she's done for us. I won't let him get away with it.'' Erza's expression remained unchanged, making his ire rise. ''You don't even care that innocents could get caught up in trouble? They're not going to stop at this. What the hell, Erza? You're better than this, it's just heartless!''

Erza bristled, where did he get off? He didn't even seem to care at all that they broke the rules and just continued to do what he wanted. She was here to make sure they could be returned to safety...

Her thoughts were cut off when a hand landed on her shoulder, making her look to see it was Riku's.

'You two need to calm down.' He stated, eyeing them evenly. 'We don't know the full scope of the situation but the fact is, we're knee deep in this now. Odds are, they won't let us leave even if we all wanted to. Like it or not, Erza, Gray has a point. They could drag the villagers into this, knowing they were the ones who wanted help in the first place. They've already done it before.'

''That's...'' Erza bit her lip, realizing he was right. Gray's words had aggravated her so much that she wasn't really thinking. She still believed it was foolish and reckless of their friends to come here but she would never condone dragging innocents into this now. It was true, leaving now may as well mean leaving the villagers defenseless.

'So bottom line is, we need to do something. We can't just back out now, that's just wrong and it'd be even worse for the guild then. It looks like this is really a big deal for Gray too...' Riku glanced at the ice mage, who looked away but his expression spoke volumes. '...you're the one who said we need to be a good team, Erza. What kind of team would we be if we leave things as they are?'

''He's got you there.'' Belle injected slyly.

''Aye! We've got to finish this!'' Happy added.

''I think so too.'' Lucy agreed. She was relieved to see that Riku's intervention was giving the chance for calmer heads to prevail.

''...Well, like I said, I wouldn't have just left anyway...'' Gray said, sparing Riku a grateful look. ''...we started this mess, so we'll fix it.''

Erza exhaled ''...Fine. We'll see about how to finish this job.'' Lucy and Happy cheered. ''However, this doesn't get you off, you three and Natsu are going to answer for this when we get home. Am I clear?''

The two faltered and lowered their heads ''C-crystal...''

Riku and Belle shared awkward looks ''Well...it wouldn't be Erza otherwise. But hey, small mercies and all, right?'' The latter mumbled.

'Let's just take what we can get.' He returned.

Erza cleared her throat, sparing them a look ''This is still about teaching them a lesson. First things first, Riku do you think you can find Natsu?''

He shook his head before explaining 'About that...I picked up on his scent earlier and it lead to the forest. But the trail's weak-he must have gone that way a while back. There's no telling where he'd be now.'

''It's all right! Natsu can take of himself-he must have some kind of plan.'' Happy stated.

Belle gave him a dry look ''That's not nearly as reassuring as you think it is.''

Erza's expression made it clear that she agreed with her ''Leaving that aside, what else do we need to know?''

''Let's see...'' Gray began to think.

* * *

Since it was already late, the group agreed to rest up for now and head to the temple in the morning.

Erza glanced back at the others, seeing that most of them were asleep. She did regret some of what she said earlier but Gray's dismissive behavior really got on her nerves. She knew her friends thought she was far too strict but it was because she believed rules were there for a reason. The fact is, S-class requests were only meant for mages of that rank and it was to help ensure their safety. She knew this time was somewhat different given the Cold Emperor's scheme but that did not mean letting them off lightly either.

Her expression softened when she saw Riku draping a blanket over Belle's body, the cat shifted a little but smiled when he stroked her head, remaining asleep. The redhead really liked how their relationship grew until they became the great team they were today.

Riku had found Belle in the forest shortly after a storm. The poor cat had been terrified and for a while it was only his presence that let her be comfortable around anyone. That had been a little over a year since Happy came into their lives and so they'd come to learn a few things about the cat, this helped Riku take good care of her. This had also brought out a gentle side of Riku that Erza didn't think they would have seen normally.

The brunet tended to keep to himself a lot when they first met and it took them sometime to earn his trust. But even then, she knew he was kind. For even when they hadn't known each other, Riku had gone out of his way to help them. Especially if one considered the circumstances when they first met him...also the fact that as she was well aware, Riku's circumstances had been difficult even before that. If anything, learning about _that _made him a truly remarkable person to her. Riku may have thought she was the stronger one between them but she didn't she was-not at all.

Joining the guild was a true turning point for the both of them and while both hadn't had it easy trying to adapt, Erza would freely admit that Riku's influence had actually been a big help to her there. He had really tried to understand-to learn all he could about Fairy Tail and he came to adopt the guild's philosophy well. Before she even knew it, he was slowly but surely warming up to the others. He'd made it clear that some of the guild's antics were annoying to him but still, he opened up to the others and came to make good friends. For instance, Riku was the one to get to know Elfman (who was rather meek back then) and helped encourage him to deal with the problems of his Take-Over magic, which eventually lead to their training sessions. Besides, Erza didn't think they could have become friends with Mystogan or Laxus if her old friend hadn't been there. She knew the turning point for the blond had been that day, when his father came back...Riku was the one who truly came through when they needed help the most.

The brunet approached her then, seeming pensive 'Erza, back when you first got here did you see...well, I'm not sure how to describe it but...in the sky...it kind of looked like the island was...'

She raised an eye ''Ah, you saw it too? Well, that certainly was a surprise...Hm, I've been meaning to ask, did you sense anything about the island?''

Riku shook his head 'That's why I was wondering if it could have anything to do with the curse. Something about it just seems off...'

''Agreed. We must be some missing some vital information but that can't be helped. For now, let's focus on dealing with the situation around Deliora. We'll deal with the curse afterwards.''

He nodded back and she gave a small smile ''Let's try to get some rest now-we have a busy day ahead of us.''

'Right.' Riku returned.

* * *

The following day...

Natsu had actually spent the night in the woods and was on his way to the temple. As Happy mentioned, he did have a plan to stop the Moon Drip ritual and he was raring to get started.

''So, Sherry and Yuka lost...'' A man with silver hair and dark eyes looked at the newly arrived Toby, who seemed cowed as he thought of the previous night's events. Another individual was nearby, a man wearing a mask with bushy green hair was looking on with a grin, seemingly amused.

''Do keep in mind we can't afford any setbacks at this stage of the plan, Cold Emperor.'' He remarked.

Lyon scoffed ''Don't be ridiculous, Zalty. This isn't a setback, none of those fools will stop me.''

''You seem confident, that's good. One of our opponents is Fairy Tail's Salamander, you know.'' Zalty said lightly. ''I hear that the famous Titania and even Bahamut arrived last night.''

''Hmph, that won't change a thing.'' Lyon stated. ''I waited this long to achieve my dream, I won't let those pests get in my way.''

''Now that's what I like to hear! I think I'll lend you a hand too.'' Zalty grinned.

The ice mage stood but then, the temple began to tilt...

* * *

As the rest of the Fairy Tail group headed towards the temple, Gray told them all about what happened ten years ago. How he met Ur and Lyon after Deliora destroyed his village. Eventually, he trained under the woman who taught him and Lyon Ice Make magic. His intention was to take revenge on Deliora. Lyon wanted to surpass Ur, who believed to be the strongest mage he knows. Even now, those goals were driving them forward.

Once, when they were shopping, the three heard that Deliora was in a nearby area. Gray saw red at that and immediately went to fight the demon despite Ur's attempt to stop him. He was no match for the monster and soon Ur and Lyon caught up to him. Lyon was knocked out in the ensuing battle and Ur continued defending both boys. She lost her leg in the process but replaced it with an ice prosthetic. Knowing she likely couldn't stop the demon, Ur addressed told Gray to take Lyon away.

In return, Lyon had also taken matters into his own hands and decided to use Iced Shell to stop Deliora. But Ur, fully aware of what that would do to him, proceeded to freeze the boy then and there. She did agree with Lyon's assessment that Iced Shell was the only way to end this. The spell that turned the user's own body to ice to trap their enemy.

She asked Gray to tell Lyon that she died and encouraged them both to see the world. There were mages stronger than her and she wanted them to keep living to the best of their ability. Gray could only watch as the spell was completed and later, he had no choice but to tell Lyon what their master asked of him. Lyon had been furious and blamed Gray for it. That was the last time they had seen each other before coming to this island.

''What does beating that demon have to do with surpassing Ur? No matter how you look at it, this is crazy!'' Happy exclaimed. After all, what was he going to do if that plan failed? Or did he just not ever consider that?

''Indeed, we were fortunate with the turnout around Lullaby. The risk is simply too high, this is a demon created by the darkest mage in known history. This is entirely foolish.'' Erza stated.

''Don't I know it.'' Gray agreed. ''Lyon thinks that if he can beat the demon Ur couldn't, he'd surpass her. He's so damn convinced that he can do it that even the possiblity of failure won't enter his mind. But I won't let this continue. He doesn't even know...the truth about Iced Shell.''

They looked at him in surprise ''The truth?'' Belle echoed.

* * *

''Well, this is interesting...'' Zalty trailed off as he watched the ensuing battle between Natsu and Lyon.

It turned out that the cause of the temple shaking violently earlier had been Natsu. He'd managed to tilt the temple in an attempt to ensure that the moonlight wouldn't reach Deliora so their ritual would be stopped. Who would think of something like that? He really was an unpredictable fellow, wasn't he?

''Fire Dragon's Roar!''

Zalty raised a hand and before anyone knew it, a hole opened up under Natsu, making him fall and the blast miss as a result.

Lyon looked on in surprise before glancing at Zalty ''What did you...?''

''Remember that we can't lose you yet.'' He said simply.

The ice mage's eyes narrowed dangerously, in moments ice was quickly covering most of the room ''Are you insinuating that I'd lose to that hotheaded fool...? Don't underestimate me.''

Natsu climbed back up the hole ''Why the hell are you doing this stuff? What good is reviving that demon gonna do?''

''It's for my dream! I must surpass Ur!'' He declared.

''Well, just go fight her or something!'' Natsu snapped.

''I would if it were possible!'' Lyon retorted, surprising the latter. ''But she's dead because of Gray!''

He fired a blast of ice at the dragon slayer, who blocked it, scowling before he charged back again, fist at the ready...

* * *

''Are you sure about this, Gray?'' Belle asked as they arrived at the temple's entrance.

''Yeah, it'll be fine. I can get through to him.'' He declared firmly.

In a way, she could understand because of what he told them about Iced Shell but at the same time Lyon didn't sound like the kind of guy who'd listen...

But before she could voice her doubts, the cat was distracted as she picked up on something ''Whoa, what...?!''

The temple was tilted, it usually pointed at the moon but now it was mostly sideways, with the top pointing to the right.

For a moment, no one was sure what to make of the strange sight but then most of them caught the damage around the area as well as the scorch marks, which left only one conclusion.

Erza sighed ''So this is what he was up to...''

'Yup, this kind of thing is 100% Natsu.' Riku stated.

''Aye Sir! See his plan worked, and you guys were all skeptic...'' Happy began to grin.

Belle's response took the wind out of his sails ''Tell me I'm crazy but that might have to with the fact that your plans have an excellent record when it comes to failure.''

Happy was about to retort but then both cats noticed Riku stopping, his eyes narrowing as he stared ahead ''What's wrong, Riku?''

But just then, a group of people wearing robes and masks and holding a variety of weapons rushed out.

''There's Fairy Tail!''

''All right, don't let them take another step!''

''What's going on?!'' Lucy recoiled.

Erza's brow furrowed as she requipped a sword ''It seems Lyon gathered up quite a bunch of followers.''

Gray ground his teeth, wondering why on earth those people would help his former fellow pupil. They had to be out of their minds...

Riku fended off an ax-user 'Get going.' Gray looked at him in surprise. 'We can handle this. You know what you have to do, don't you?'

Lucy grabbed one of her keys ''He's right-go and settle things. We'll deal with them.''

Erza met his eyes and nodded, a sword in hand ''We'll catch up with you as soon as possible.''

He nodded back ''Thanks!'' As he hurried into the temple, a couple of archers made to snipe at him. One was stopped by Riku, who blocked the arrow with his great sword before it even came close to Gray. The second was halted by Belle, who cast a spell called Windburst to deflect the arrow.

''You seem to believe you have us cornered, I say it's time we correct that misunderstanding.'' Erza declared, leveling her sword.

Gray glanced back, vowing to make sure his friends' efforts wouldn't be in vain.

* * *

Natsu gathered flames in his fist as he prepared another attack, raising an eye as he heard the sound of footsteps drawing rapidly close. But it was the newcomer's scent that made him pause.

''Gray?'' He blinked.

''He's mine.'' The ice mage told his rival. ''I'm going to make up for what happened in the past and I'll start by stopping him now.''

''As usual, you just talk big.'' Lyon said with a scoff. ''You couldn't beat me before-what makes now so different?''

''I'll make it that way.'' Gray took a stance that left the former stunned. ''...You were right, Lyon. I'm the one to blame for Ur's death. But here you are today, not only putting your own people and innocents in danger, you might as well spitting on her sacrifice! I won't let you!''

''That's...the Iced Shell?!'' Lyon's eyes were wide. ''You wouldn't...!''

''I'll stop if you do. Get rid of this curse-the villagers have been through enough. Leave the island and never return. If you don't, this is the end.'' Gray returned calmly.

Natsu looked in confusion, wondering what this meant-he'd never seen Gray use that spell before...And when he said the end...something just wasn't right here.

A fierce wave of snow and ice surrounded Gray as magic circles formed around him.

''I don't believe that-you wouldn't dare.'' Lyon returned smugly.

''Care to find out?'' Gray demanded.

''You'll die!'' He retorted.

Natsu's eyes widened at this-what?! That was what he was planning?

''I'm not afraid to die.'' Gray stated, effectively confirming this. ''What's it going to be, Lyon?! It's your choice!''

''That's enough of the bluff! This is a trick!'' He snapped.

''It isn't. Let's see you deal with this.'' Gray closed his eyes, silently apologizing to his friends for this.

''ICED SH...!''

He never got further than that for a hard punch sent him flying backwards, disrupting the spell almost at once. The surprised ice mage slowly looked up, seeing a furious Natsu glaring at him.

''What the hell are you playing at?!''

''That's my line, you flaming moron! I said I'd take care of him!'' Gray snapped.

''How? By throwing your life?'' Natsu demanded hotly. ''How is sacrificing your life the best you can do? Being ready to die is one thing, right now you're just running away!''

Gray stared at him in shock. Was he really? He'd never even...

The three started as the temple shook suddenly and the fire and ice mages saw Zalty joining Lyon.

''Sorry to intrude-I just thought this place could do with a little...modification of sorts.'' He grinned.

''Wha...hey, the temple's upright again.'' Gray realized, glancing around them.

''What?! You little...!'' Natsu seethed, glowering at the masked man. But Zalty merely smirked and ran off. ''That does it! Hey, you take care of this idiot, that one's mine!''

''I got it. I won't lose again.'' Gray returned. It went unsaid that they both knew what that meant. Losing twice to the same opponent wasn't just bad for him but for Fairy Tail.

* * *

Erza and the others were able to deal with the attackers with relative ease. Despite the weapons they carried, they seemed to have little experience. Only few of them were mages and even then, they weren't all that skilled either.

But still...

Erza knocked a sword out of her attacker's hand, knocking him down. Riku blocked a spike club with his sheathed blade before its taking its user out and Belle blasted an enemy with light magic.

Happy whacked one of them with his bag and Lucy threw him down with a flex of her whip. Erza's brow furrowed as she noticed that all of their enemies' clothes had the same symbol. It looked familiar but she couldn't remember where she had seen it...

''They're so persistent...'' Lucy trailed off.

''Aye, they just won't stop.'' Happy agreed, frowning. But why try so hard? Even if they were losing big time, they seemed determined to do whatever it takes to hold them off. This attitude raised one particular question.

Was Lyon's scheme really worth all this to them?

The earth shook a little around them, bringing attention to the temple as it was somehow brought upright again.

''But how...?'' Happy stared.

Erza's eyes narrowed, knowing this meant the ritual could be continued. In that case...

''Riku, Belle, we have things well in hand here. Go and see what you can do to stop this-Natsu and Gray might need help too.'' She stated.

The first nodded back while the second flew up ''We're on it!''

As they headed into the temple, Lucy held up one of her keys ''Gate of the Crab, I open thee-Cancer!''

The zodiac spirit appeared and she called ''Take those guys down!''

''Got it-ebi.'' He returned, raising up on his scissors.

* * *

''It looks like this is going slower than what the others told us yesterday.'' Belle remarked as they noted the purple light form in the distance.

'Yeah, but even then they've made a lot of progress already...' Riku paused. '...can you go deal with that end? I found Natsu's scent...I think he just went by here and there's...someone else.'

''Okay!'' She returned, flying up towards the level where they knew the ritual was taking place. Riku went in the direction the scents were coming from. Soon he could see Natsu coming to a stop before what he realized Deliora and the huge ice block trapping it.

''Riku?!'' He exclaimed. ''When did you...?''

'I'll explain later.' The brunet glanced at Zalty, who was standing not too far away. 'So he's another enemy?'

''Yeah! That jerk ruined all my work and fixed up the temple just like that!'' Natsu huffed.

Zalty chuckled ''Now don't take it too badly-it was a good effort, you were just unlucky that I was prepared for plenty of setbacks.''

''Oh yeah? Well, let's see you try to handle this!'' Natsu scowled, holding up a flaming fist.

Zalty's grin returned as he noted darkness gathering around Riku, who was also bracing himself for battle. ''So I have two dragons to entertain? This should be interesting...''

* * *

_Well, let's stop here. _

_I hope this was good. I thought about this chapter a lot and admittedly, I wasn't sure how to handle this arc for a while but I think I should be able to wrap it up pretty soon. At least I have a much better idea on how to deal with the next arc so there's that. What started out as the source of the curse was actually this floating lens in the sky, right? So I figured it wouldn't be too strange for people to notice it well enough-Natsu and the others just didn't have the chance considering that they were washed up by that tsunami. _

_Hm, anywho, that's all I had to say. Thanks for reading so far and I hope you keep it up. Till next time!_


	8. Chapter 8

Natsu and Riku were fighting Zalty and unfortunately it was not in their favor. Strange as he was, the man was clearly strong.

Riku's eyes narrowed a bit as he watched their enemy. The real problem was that he couldn't figure out how Zalty kept neutralizing a lot of their attacks like that. But the second any form of magic approached him, it would be reduced to nothing. It was odd. He could even will parts of the roof to fall on them and even launch fast projectiles from the debris.

He watched the man avoid a charging Natsu's fist with ease. Riku had the sinking suspicion that this person was holding back on them. If anything, the easy going grin he wore reinforced that impression.

Thinking fast, he tried to trap Zalty within a rune field, only to stop in surprise when he just chuckled ''Clever, Bahamut. But not good enough!'' He leveled his hand and in a second, the field was gone.

''What the heck?!'' Natsu's jaw dropped. He'd seen how effective Rune magic thanks to Freed and Riku, to think it could be dismissed so easily...

Just who was this man?

The two quickly realized that he was leading them closer to Deliora. ''Sure you want to keep fighting, Salamander? Keep in mind that your flame might release Deliora.''

''Oh, please.'' Natsu scoffed, not buying that for a second. ''You guys wouldn't be going through all this trouble if melting the ice was this easy.''

''Well, it seems you aren't as dumb as I thought.'' Zalty remarked, ignoring the 'What was that?!' from him. ''How did you both know how to find me so easily? Especially you, Bahamut. You weren't anywhere near us earlier.''

Both dragon slayers shared glances before Natsu asked ''You noticed it about him too, right?'' Riku nodded and they both looked back at their enemy. ''We followed your scent. Why the heck do you smell like ladies perfume anyway?''

''Ah, who knows...'' Zalty grinned, leveling his hands above both of them. Riku saw what he was up to and he quickly aimed three blasts of darkness which destroyed the debris that had been about to fall on them.

Natsu attacked with a Fire Dragon's Roar, only to growl in frustration when Zalty defended himself with ease, staving the attack off. How did he keep doing that?

Riku cast Dark Dragon's Moonlight Beam, not even blinking when their enemy reduced his attack to nothing as well. He instead charged to attack with his sword, surprising Zalty when he dodged by catching to up with a gate. This time Zalty wasn't so lucky as to avoid it, forcing him to fall back.

''Not bad. Was there any point behind the first attack? You didn't so much as blink when I stopped it.'' Zalty said, genuinely curious.

It had actually been a test, to clarify something he picked up on during the course of the battle. 'Natsu, I still don't know what type of magic that is exactly but this guy can manipulate time.'

''Manipulate time?!'' Natsu echoed, stunned while Zalty stilled in surprise. He'd never come across that before.

'If I have this right, he can't actually use this power on us directly, that's why he keeps dodging physical strikes. But stopping magic seems like nothing to him.' Riku added.

Natsu blinked, now it really made sense. Zalty hummed, his grin remaining ''So you were testing me? Interesting-you're as skilled as your reputation makes you out to be. Indeed, my magic gives me power to control time. It is in fact, a Lost Magic. Just like your Dragon Slayer magic.''

''Wait, really?'' Natsu cocked his head. He'd heard of Lost Magic before from Levy but he never knew Dragon Slayer magic was like that.

''Well, even if you didn't know I imagine Bahamut did, yes...student of the Dragon King?'' Zalty mused, elicting a glare from Riku. ''My, now that's intense. I take it you'd object to being called Dragon Prince then?''

''What the hell do you think you know? That so called king's a monster!'' Natsu retorted on his friend's behalf. It had been a surprise to learn the truth about Riku's mentor in Dragon Slayer magic. Igneel was a father to him and he thought of him fondly to this day. On the other hand, Riku had every reason to hate his mentor who had treated him terribly.

Riku, who realized what the man was trying to do, threw his sword at Zalty. When the man dodged it as expected, Riku merely opened a portal to teleport the sword to strike him from a different angle. It was only his reaction time which saved him from quite an injury, the blade cutting his side as a result.

''That's quite the troublesome ability.'' He mused. ''Then again, given its source...I can imagine why Acnologia chose to teach you. He did you a massive disservice by making you learn that particular branch of dragon slayer magic. Though the fact that you're still the way you are proves you have quite the potential.''

''What're you...?'' Natsu frowned in confusion, sure Riku was tough as nails but...

Riku had a feeling that he knew. After all there was one particular thing about his Dragon Slayer magic that would make Zalty's words rather accurate...

Shaking himself, he quickly warned Natsu that the man was more than likely trying to buy time. ''Oh yeah? Well, he's not getting a second longer!''

''Such confidence, on the off chance that you do stop me, there's nothing you can do about the ritual. It's too late.'' Zalty stated.

'As if. Belle's already on it.' Riku returned.

Natsu grinned ''Yeah. She's got it covered, so we'll do our part!''

* * *

Belle held back a wince as she continued flying to the ritual location. She had encountered a trap that almost burned her wing earlier and while she avoided the most of it, that still hurt. She was just glad one of her staves gave her an ability to use a little healing magic. Apparently, Lyon and his goons had wisened up due to her friends' presence and were ready to deal with interference. She highly doubted it was the only trap here either.

Well, it wasn't about to stop her.

''Two layered magic circle: Earthquake!''

Belle allowed a small grin upon seeing that her spell had knocked out a few devices that were lodged in the hall's ceiling. Well, she was almost there.

* * *

Gray glowered at Lyon, not believing how far he had sunk.

He had thought he could get Lyon to see reason by telling him the truth about Iced Shell. It didn't actually kill the user, but turned their body into ice. The ice Lyon was trying to melt around Deliora was actually Ur. Ur had asked him to keep the truth a secret, wanting them both to keep living as she believed Lyon would keep trying to free her. Gray had thought that surely if Lyon knew...?

Just when he thought Lyon would understand, the latter blindsided him and stabbed his side with a spear of ice. He had apparently known the entire time but he just didn't believe it and considered Gray a fool for doing so. Lyon made it very clear, he was determined to do this, no matter what. All he cared about was the way to rise above Ur's legacy. Lyon hadn't even cared much about his attempt to use Iced Shell because one of his followers would've released him over time, realizing this had Gray see just how foolish his plan had been.

It all made Gray furious, but also all the more determined to stop him.

He charged at his fellow ex-pupil and punched him hard. Lyon cringed as he pulled himself up ''H-how can you still...?''

He braced himself as Gray continued to attack, punching him in the wound then to make him fall.

''Make sure to aim for your opponent's weak points and hit them with all you got. That was one of the basics Ur taught us, remember?'' Lyon asked mockingly.

''Don't you dare say her name!'' Gray snapped but the latter punched him again before kicking his side.

The two continued trading blows. At first it appeared to be a stalemate but with Gray's wound slowing him down, Lyon was getting the advantage. This enabled him to counter a lot of Gray's moves effectively and keep going.

''Just stay down!'' He snapped when Gray rose back to his feet.

''Not happening!'' Gray returned, punching him into a wall then. ''You may have beaten me before but I'm not about to lose-no way!''

''You think you can defeat me?!'' Lyon sneered. ''Don't get ahead of yourself! Ice Make: Snow Dragon!''

Given that they had agreed not to use magic before their battle, this understandably took Gray by surprise, leaving him vulnerable. He cursed as he pulled himself up ''The hell...? You said we...!''

''Do you think I care what happens here? Deliora is going to be released soon.'' Lyon stated. ''Zalty is already preparing the ritual. You and your friends are far too late to stop us.''

''Don't look down on them. The second you underestimate Natsu is the second you lose. Riku's one of the most reliable guys out there. They'll handle him.'' Gray retorted.

* * *

Zalty slammed Natsu on the head with a flying orb but the teen destroyed with a punch. It was clearly no good as Zalty easily fixed it with a flicker of his hand. ''I told you, my magic Arc of Time lets me manipulate and object's time. What you're doing is pointless.''

With another wave of his hand, he accelerated the orb's time, creating more of them item and using them to attack. Natsu was pelted by a few before he got away. When Zalty redirected the orbs, Riku struck the ground with his sword, creating a shock wave that destroyed them.

He concentrated his power on his hand before raising it, conjuring a multitude of sharp, dark blasts of power that came from a number of direction. This was Dark Dragon's Shadow Fang.

Zalty tried to stop it but the attack was coming from too many sides for it all to work at once, leaving him forced to hold up the orb he had repaired quickly. Both dragon slayers were surprised to see it absorb the attack before it disintegrated, though Zalty took care of that with ease. He missed Riku charging at him, fist swirling with darkness as he aimed a punch, this was Dark Dragon's Umbral Fist.

Zalty was able to dodge that only to be kicked by Natsu, which forced him back. ''What the hell do you get out of this, huh? What good is Deliora going to do?'' He demanded.

''Is that so strange? I don't care what happens at the end-I simply want to make Deliora mine.'' He stated.

'He thinks he can control that demon?' Riku wondered. Natsu repeated the question verbally, just as thrown off by this.

''Oh, I don't think I can. I _know _I can.'' Their enemy returned. ''And it will be wonderful.''

''It's ridiculous,'' Natsu stated. ''I've had enough of you people messing about here. This ends today!''

Both dragon slayers attacked and Zalty tried to stop them by launching duplicates of his orb but Natsu destroyed with a Fire Dragon's Roar. The attack caused a smoke screen which left Zalty blinded but Riku seized the chance to hit him with Abyss Claw. The two Fairy Tail mages punched him, ending the fight.

* * *

Belle had managed to get past the traps and found Toby, who she quickly attacked and knocked down. Three of her staves were surrounding him, primed for offense if he made any false move.

''Okay, now talk! How do I stop the ritual?'' Belle demanded.

''You can't.'' He returned. ''It was only a matter of time. All I had to do was get it started so the Moon Drip would fall on Deliora. You all came too late-the ritual will release it soon!''

* * *

Lyon noted the temple shaking ''The ritual is taking effect, it's almost time.'' He proceeded to pelt Gray with ice arrows, watching him try to dodge. ''I've waited so long for this day. After gathering my men, we could finally start. It's been three years but at long last-I will achieve my dream!''

Gray cast Ice Make: Shield to defend himself ''You gave up three years for this ridiculous plan?''

''How dare you?!'' Lyon fired back. ''That's rich coming from the one who wasted the last ten years in some guild!''

''I believed in Ur so I followed her words. She said there were mages much stronger than her out there and it was true. I even tried to find a way to break the Iced Shell but Master Makarov said there was only one way. He absolutely refused to tell me what it was but I bet he was thinking about the Moon Drip.'' Gray remarked. ''I haven't wasted time. I learned a lot out there and I found some great friends who came through for me. I'll use everything I learned to defeat you!''

''Hmph, you can try but you'll fail.'' Lyon retorted. ''I will surpass Ur by destroying the one thing she couldn't, Deliora.'' He attacked with his ice coating his fists, currently shaped like tigers.

Gray dodged his strikes at once ''...You could've been so much more than this. How can you surpass Ur when you're so blind? You're a 100 years too early for that!''

He quickly createed an ice sword and slashed Lyon with it, breaking the ice on his fists. But then Lyon seemed to fall apart, revealing that to be a clone made from ice. Lyon had taken the chance to get behind him.

''Ice Make: Snow Tiger!''

However, Gray was ready ''Ice Make: Prison!''

Lyon's eyes narrowed ''I'll get rid of this ice now.''

''You can't.'' Gray returned calmly and the latter was alarmed to realize that was true. ''Single handed spell-casting is too unbalanced, that's why you can't use your full power. You're hardly any better than this beast you created, lashing out at everyone.''

''Be silent!'' Lyon snarled.

Gray's eyes narrowed as he put his hands together for another spell ''Ice Make: Ice Cannon!''

Lyon tried to defend himself but the powerful blast soon overcame, leaving him to collapse.

Gray cringed as his wound stung again, freezing it with ice. But then he heard a sound that he was likely never to forget despite hearing it ten years ago last time. A horrible, guttural growl that made him stiffen in place.

His worst fears were unfortunately made true. Deliora was free.

* * *

Belle flew down to where she saw Riku heading earlier, wanting to meet up with him and the others. They had to do something. She didn't know if it was wishful thinking or mere stubborness on her part because she couldn't stop the ritual but either way, it didn't matter. She refused to give up now.

The purple cat stopped when she saw Erza, Lucy and Happy approaching fast. ''Belle, was that...?'' The third asked.

She nodded tersely ''I'm sorry, I couldn't stop the ritual. Those guys were real prepared. But I don't think it's complete. It was just that dog guy working on it and you guys said it needed plenty of people to be effective. Besides, the Moon Drip's still falling on Deliora.''

''So it may not be fully awakened yet.'' Erza nodded, catching on to her train of thought. ''All the more reason to hurry, come on!''

* * *

Gray had arrived at the temple's lower level in time to see Deliora taking its first steps in ten years. ''...they've really done it...''

'Sorry, guess we were too late.' Riku frowned.

''Yeah, but we can still do something. Come on, Gray, let's beat this thing!'' Natsu exclaimed.

He was about to respond but then a new voice spoke up ''Y-you...can't...''

It was Lyon, who was dragging himself over despite his injuries, an elated expression on his face. ''You aren't strong enough. But...But I am. It's time at last, I will defeat Deliora.''

''You're kidding, right?'' Natsu deadpanned. Likewise, Riku seemed rather unimpressed. ''You can't even walk now!''

''Silence! I've waited so long for this...but I'll...''

Lyon never got further than that as Gray knocked him out with a blow to the head.

''It's about time he stopped.'' Gray remarked. ''...Guys, if we can't beat this thing, I'll used Iced Shell...''

''Don't even go there!'' Natsu cut in, leaving him surprised. ''We're going to win, we have to!''

'Right. Sacrificing yourself isn't the answer. One way or the other, we'll figure this out.' Riku added. 'Fairy Tail never abandons one of their own, remember?'

Gray's lips twitched ''...Yeah...all right, what're we waiting for? Let's get to work!''

''Now you're talking!'' Natsu returned.

But just as they prepared for a fight, Deliora let out a loud roar...before it began to fall apart.

''What the heck?!'' Natsu cried while his friends stared, just as dumbfounded.

Lyon seemed stunned ''...Deliora was already as good as dead. The ice must have been draining it all this time-this must have been its last breath.''

'So all this time Ur...' Riku began to smile as he glanced at Gray. '...your teacher sounds amazing.'

''Yeah, she must have been great!'' Natsu grinned.

''...She was, more than you know.'' Gray stated, his voice a little choked up. He barely even noticed the few tears falling down his face. Ur had not only sealed his darkness like she promised but she'd even gotten rid of the source of his worst nightmares. ''Thank you, Master.''

* * *

The rest of the Fairy Tail group soon caught up to them. Natsu freaked out when he saw Erza, only the fact that she was more preoccupied with Deliora bringing him a little relief.

They left the temple shortly afterwards, with Gray helping Lyon out. Surprisingly he took it well, what he learned now clearly left him pensive so he didn't have much to say.

''Survivors from Brago?'' Gray echoed.

''That's who those people who confronted us at the entrance were.'' Erza affirmed, ''They weren't much fighters like we thought...they made it rather clear that they just wanted to see Deliora taken down for destroying their homes and many of their loved ones. It was the same for Lyon's other followers.''

''I see...'' He knew the feeling all too well. Hell, he had been in their shoes before Ur intervened. Revenge on Deliora used to be the whole reason he wanted to learn magic.

''Guys, doesn't this mean we finished the job?'' Natsu said excitedly. ''We nailed an S class quest!''

''You're right!'' Lucy smiled. ''I can't believe things worked out so well-you think we can be S-class mages now?''

Gray knew they were really pushing it, especially judging by Erza's dark expression. But it was Belle who wound up poking holes into their conclusion.

''I hate to burst your bubble but how do you know the curse is gone?'' She asked. ''This was never about Deliora. No one knew that thing was even here, right?

The purple cat directed the question at Lyon, who answered ''Right. We never even went to the village. There was no reason to communicate with the people. They never even came to the temple so it made the plan even simpler.''

''Hey, how do you know he's not making this up?'' Natsu demanded, unconvinced.

Riku had a thought 'If the Moon Drip really was the whole reason behind the curse how come it didn't affect him or any of the others? They've been around it for three years now.'

''You know, that's a really good point. It can't be the Moon Drip then...'' Gray blinked. ''...your job ties into this too, right?''

'Yeah...and I might have an idea of what the actual reason is.' Riku admitted, to their surprise. He had gotten to talking a little bit more with Erza about that subject but he wasn't quite sure.

''You've noticed too then?'' Erza half-smiled.

''You guys figured it out?'' Natsu asked, the two exchanged glances before Erza answered.

''We've been talking about a few oddities we happened to spot in this situation. But we can't say for sure yet. I think talking to the villagers would help for a start.''

''Wait, so we're leaving him like this?'' Happy clarified.

''Yeah, after all that happened...'' Natsu began to frown.

'Natsu, just think about it. What would you do if you were in their shoes?' Riku asked, silencing him. 'I'm not saying it's right-not at all. But...can you honestly say you wouldn't look for revenge too? Honestly, I doubt I could.'

He could understand how hard they had it. Riku remembered being alone after his family was killed because of monsters. Most of those days were a blur to him but he remembered being miserable. If he had a chance to get back at the cause of all that...he might have gone for it. He honestly didn't know for sure.

This made both stop and consider that, grimacing. Normally, one tries to get back at another for hurting them...and Deliora cost those people everything. Yeah, they could see what Riku was getting at. It had to be a terrible situation.

''So how about we get back on track? What do we about the curse?'' Lucy asked the group at large. She also shared Riku's sentiment. Their former enemies only did what they thought was best, all's well that ends well so why not leave things at that?

''We could go to the village for now, right? I mean, the people want to know that the people who attacked their homes were stopped.'' Happy suggested.

''Good idea!'' She returned.

''Fair enough-let's go tell 'em.'' Gray nodded.

As they made to head over, he stopped ''Oh, yeah...''

Lyon's brow furrowed when he looked at him. ''What?''

''You ever consider joining a guild? It'd probably do you a whole lot of good. You might even find a new path...a new dream.''

The statement left Lyon surprised. Gray clearly wasn't expecting an answer as he kept walking with the rest of his friends.

''A guild, huh...?'' Lyon murmured.

* * *

After they arrived at the area that served at the home for the villagers' given the settlement's destruction, the team was found by a couple of the villagers, who led to find a surprise.

The entire village was completely repaired! It was as if the attack never happened. The villagers were as bewildered as they were glad, all trying to make sense of this.

''What the heck?'' Gray blinked. ''I mean...not complaining here or anything...but how is this possible?''

''I hear you...this is so strange...'' Lucy looked around.

''Didn't you guys that masked guy could manipulate time?'' Belle asked Natsu.

''Yeah, but...why would he do this?'' The first cocked his head.

''Well, confusing as this is, it's still really good...'' Lucy trailed off as Chief Moka approached them.

''It was you people who restored our village, yes?'' He inquired.

''Ah...well...'' No one was sure how to answer that but the man quickly went on.

''I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. But I must know...when are you wizards going to destroy the moon?!''

''Well that's...'' Happy floundered under the man's intense glare.

But thankfully Erza stepped ''That's a simple task for us, sir.''

''What?!'' Lucy, Gray, Happy and Belle cried out.

Belle looked at Riku when he tapped her shoulder, nodding when he made a request from her. She looked at Moka ''We came a bit late so we need to get our facts straight, can we talk to everyone?''

* * *

''Riku, you know what's going on?'' Belle asked quietly.

'I have a guess.' He admitted. 'Erza and I noticed something strange about this place. We think it might be related to the curse but we need to make sure. Getting all our facts straight should help for a start.'

''Ahhh, okay.'' She nodded, both looking at Erza as she addressed the villagers.

''Now to clarify, you all took those demonic forms when the moon turned purple, yes?''

''That's right. We're just fine in the day but this horrible curse takes complete hold in at night. You see the result now.'' Moka replied.

''So the moon has been purple for three years now?'' Erza went on.

Some of the villagers exchanged glances before one spoke ''I...guess so. Wow, I hardly even noticed how long it's been...''

''Say, I've been wondering-you guys saw the beam of light that has been coming from the temple, right?'' Lucy wanted to know. Moka nodded and she added. ''It seems kind of strange that you never mentioned that, didn't you ever go investigate it?''

''Well, that's...'' He trailed off. ''...the temple is forbidden by old laws.''

''You guys let that stop you? I'm prety sure that those useless laws can fly out the window in a messed up situation like this.'' Gray stated, leaving Moka to stutter as he tried to answer.

''Yes...the truth is we tried.'' The man returned. ''We even prepared ourselves to go all the way to the temple, armed and ready for trouble.''

''Then...?'' Happy prompted.

''That's just it. For some reason we could never get near it. All our attempts failed. Somehow we even wind up back at the village gates.''

''Hold on, what?'' Natsu blinked.

''That doesn't make any sense-how come it's just you guys who had this problem?'' Belle wondered.

''We don't know. That's why we didn't tell you-we were afraid you wouldn't believe us.'' A villager replied.

''Hmm...I understand.'' Erza started pacing as she thought this over. She was about to speak, but then let out a cry of surprise when she stepped on a pile of leaves which lead to her falling in a hole.

''Ah, what was that?'' Belle asked.

Happy facepalmed ''Lucy's dumb trap-I completely forgot about this thing...''

''...And why would this have worked on any of the bad guys?'' The purple cat wondered. Come on, it was a pile of leaves in a sandy area-she hardly even tried to camouflage it.

''Thank you! That's what we told her.'' Happy returned.

Natsu and Gray were more focused on the hole, or specifically Erza's reaction to the hole.

''She screamed...like a girl?'' Natsu looked stunned.

''Yeah...and it was kinda cute.'' Gray added, sounding like he could barely believe it himself.

Riku gave them a curious look, wondering where this was coming from. Sure, Erza was more on the tomboyish side compared to some of the girls they knew but she did have her cute moments. Was it really that strange?

Lucy was freaking out ''I'M SO DEAD WHEN SHE GETS OUT!''

Erza climbed out the hole and acted like nothing happened. ''So as I was saying...''

Most of the observers were bewildered that she apparently dismissed the whole thing but none of them dared bring it up, instead listening to her. ''...you can't go to the temple at all and somehow you come back here. And this curse...hmm, I understand now.''

''You got a plan, Erza?'' Happy wanted to know.

''As it so happens, yes.'' She returned. ''Riku, Natsu, I'll need your help to destroy the moon.''

''For real?!'' Natsu perked up.

''You're kidding!'' Lucy and Happy cried.

''Oi, oi, what the heck...?'' Gray frowned.

Belle glanced at Riku, who seemed pensive. He did mention that he had an idea of what was going on. Was this related to the oddities they noticed somehow?

Erza requipped to an armor that was mostly yellow with blue highlights and arched shoulders. ''I think the villagers need to see this so we'll do it from here. Get ready!''

''Right!'' Natsu returned brightly.

''Can she really do it?'' Happy wondered.

''Beats me...this is too much even for Erza...'' Gray trailed off.

''This is the Giant Armor.'' The knight mage explained, she requipped a lance then. ''It increases my strength and allows me to throw farther. My Raven Lance can double the output of ethernano that is willed into it with ease.''

The villagers looked on in awe, their morale high at the thought that they would finally be free of the curse.

''So what she wants to knock the moon down from the sky with that lance?'' Lucy wondered, her tone full of skepticism.

''Precisely.'' Erza affirmed.

She blanched ''What?!''

''What're you worrying about, Lucy? You just guessed the plan.'' Natsu stated.

''I was kidding, you moron!''

''At any rate, I'll need some help to deal with this. Riku, I want you to teleport me up high. Natsu, jump and use your powers to boost the lance when I throw it by hitting its back. We'll have to coordinate our efforts but I believe this should be what is needed.'' Erza stated.

''I'm all set!'' Natsu affirmed.

'Let's go then.' Riku added.

''Yes.'' Before they quite knew it, Erza was gone for a moment before she appeared well above them. Natsu jumped behind her as she leveled her weapon before preparing to throw it. He punched its back with a fiery fist and it went off towards the sky.

Everyone watched the Raven Lance soar higher and higher until the island. Seconds later, shockingly, cracks began to spread over the purple orb. The Fairy Tail group looked on in shock, unable to believe that this plan was succesful while the villagers were very happy.

''Whoa, it worked!'' Happy's jaw dropped.

''This doesn't make any sense!'' Lucy cried.

''Hey, wait a sec...'' Belle squinted, noticing something odd. The cracks were spreading, even into the sky. The purple moon and the sky were shattering, like broken pieces of glass.''...what's going on?''

Several cries of confusion followed this, for when the pieces shattered, they revealed a normal, glowing moon. Now they could see that the sky was colored differently into areas and the darker pieces were crumbling.

The villagers talked among themselves as they tried to make sense of this.

''The moon is still there?!''

''But how?''

''What gives?''

Natsu noted how Erza and Riku appeared to be the only ones taking this in calmly. ''So, what's that deal?''

'Probably a side effect of the Moon Drip spell.' Riku replied. 'Over time, that gas hardened and crystalized, making a shell in the sky. We saw it by the time we arrived. That's the source of the curse.'

''Wait, so then...?''

Both looked back as Erza was explaining the same thing to the villagers. ''Now everything should go back to normal.'' She finished.

The villagers were quickly surrounded by brillant light. But then , when it faded...

''Nothing changed...'' Happy blinked.

''Yeah, they should be human again.'' Gray stated.

''No,'' Erza countered as she her usual armor. ''The Moon Drip might have been what started this but it didn't change their appearance. It only altered their memories.''

''Which explains why they were that confused...hold on, if they're not supposed to be human...'' Belle looked stunned as she was catching on. It looked like the Moon Drip never effected humans. Neither her or Happy faced any trouble because of it either. So then.

''Exactly.'' Erza smiled. ''They were never humans who turned into demons. It's the exact opposite.''

''What?!'' Lucy, Happy, Natsu and Gray cried.

''W-wait, is that true? Are you guys...?'' Happy started.

''M-maybe...'' A villager returned. ''...I'm still confused. I mean we were humans when we met...''

'They're demons who can turn into humans-it's just that their false memories made them get the facts all wrong.' Riku told his friends.

''Wait, so Lyon was right before.'' Gray understood ''They were the only ones affected in all this...but it's not because of any curse, only they're not humans.''

''Correct The moon's light is sacred, so creatures of darkness couldn't go anywhere near it.'' Erza stated.

''You've done it.''

Everyone started at the new voice, turning to see a purple skinned demon flying over to them. It was in fact, Bobo.

''A g-ghost?'' Lucy stuttered while the villagers stared at him in shock.

He chuckled ''Not quite.''

''But they told us you...'' Happy trailed off.

''Yeah, I'm sure they thought they killed me but you have to try harder to get rid of a demon.'' Bobo returned. ''I flew off the boat before. Sorry to leave like that but I knew I couldn't come back. Not with everyone acting so crazy so the best I could do was find some help to get to the bottom of this.''

''B-Bobo...'' Moka flew over to his son, soaring with wings a lot like Bobo's. Without another word, he hugged his son tightly.

''I'm so glad you're back to normal, Pops!'' Bobo smiled, returning the hug as Moka cried in happiness.

The villagers flew over to the two, all possessing similar bat-like wings as they cheered. Their memories were finally restored and they were happy to see that Bobo was back.

The Fairy Tail team looked on with growing smiles, all glad to see that the island would finally be at peace.

''I get that they're demons and all but looking at their faces...'' Natsu started, grinning as he saw how happy the villagers were ''...they kinda look like angels to me.''

* * *

Zalty was not too far away, perched in a tree. From here, he could see everything that was going on in the village.

''So why did you restore the village?'' A voice came from the orb floating beside him.

''Cause I'm nice.'' He returned.

''Some might say too nice.'' The voice returned.

''You know, I can see why you wanted to keep an eye on Bahamut. He's a tricky adversary.'' Zalty remarked, thinking to their battle. ''He has no idea, does he? Regarding the truth about his magic or even...'' He hummed as the voice offered a confirmation, clearly knowing where he was going with this. ''...Now it makes sense. Bahamut doesn't seem like the source who wouldn't try to stop it if he knew. So that's why you think he might be useful down the line.''

''Let's leave that be for now. You should head off before they find you. That group could be a problem.'' The voice advised.

''Fair enough.'' Zalty removed his mask. His form was surrounded by light before revealing a woman in his place, still wearing an easy going smile.

Well, things were shaping out to be interesting.

* * *

The villagers threw a big party to celebrate. The Fairy Tail mages were treated as guests of honor for helping them get their true selves back. Most of the group was currently eating with the villagers, but Natsu was distracted when he caught the scent of one of the torches before heading over to eat it up.

Gray had apparently gained a few admirers among the village girls, who managed to get him to dance. Everyone was having a good time overall but then things seemed to be taking a turn for the worse when Toby, Sherry and Yuka arrived.

It looked like they were all preparing to fight, looking for a chance at payback, even with what they came to learn. The villagers were preparing to fight, wanting to fight their own battles. Erza put a stop to this and handled the three with ease.

Surprisingly, they took it rather well and revealed they actually came to apologize. Like their comrades, they wanted to see Deliora pay for all the suffering it caused them and so took Lyon up on his plan. But they were shamed of themselves and knew that they had to settle things somehow.

Since the Fairy Tail mages knew most of this and the three appeared genuinely remorseful, there was little trouble from there. If anything, they were dragged into the festivities by Natsu and an amused Happy.

It was a bit awkward but Natsu's behavior helped the villagers come around to the idea and slowly, they began to relax.

''To think we were so wrong about humans...'' Moka mused. ''...I never thought we'd find ones who accepted us like this despite our appearances.''

''Yeah, come to think of it, wasn't the curse something we started to make people left us alone?'' Bobo half-smiled. ''Just goes to we really should be more open-minded.''

''Indeed, you wizards have restored our faith in humans. We are ready to make friends with people from other lands.'' His father declared.

''That's great!'' Lucy smiled.

''We both nailed our missions then.'' Happy told Riku and Belle.

''Oh, so the two of you came because of the curse as well?'' Moka wanted to know.

Riku nodded and Belle explained about their client and the nature of his request.

Bobo blinked, recognition clear in his eyes ''Oh yeah, I've seen that guy around the port. Anyway, don't worry, consider any problems on that front sorted. We'll be glad to help if we can.''

''Thanks, we'll be telling him about this anyway. I don't think there would be much trouble if he knows you guys mean well.'' Belle returned. Sure, getting around the idea that they were demons was something but the villagers were really nice. That had to account for something.

The celebration kept going and soon most of the group on the sidelines were urged to dance with the others.

''I have say this turned out well, all things considered.'' Erza remarked.

''Yeah, never imagined myself dancing with demons but...if it's with them, I don't mind so much.'' Lucy admitted with a smile. She looked at the cats nearby. ''So, since most of us seem to coupling up what with the dance, how about you two? Should be fun, right?''

Happy gave her an odd look ''What, me and Belle?''

''Well, if it's just a dance...'' The other started.

''No, Belle I think she's trying to match us up!'' Happy cut in. ''Lucy, you really are weird!''

''Hey!'' She frowned. Okay, so she might have considered it but still...

''Wait, what?'' For once, Belle shared his sentiment. '' God, no! He's like my older brother. No way!'' Happy was nodding emphatically to this, showing that he completely agreed.

Erza looked amused ''Well then, Riku, would you care to dance?''

He blinked, surprised before responding 'Sure...' The redhead smiled before leading him to the dance floor. '...it's not going to be like your usual brand of dancing, is it?'

She gave him a look ''Not this again. I've heard enough about that from Levy. I've been working on it. Here, I'll show you...''

Lucy looked on in awe as the two began dancing smoothly. ''Hey, they're good at this.''

''Aye, it's because we all learned about it years ago.'' Happy returned.

Lucy began to smile, if anything she thought they looked sweet together. Both were completely focused on the dance but also seemed serene as they danced accordingly to the music.

Cana's bet around those two seemed ridiculous to her when she heard about it. But the more she watched Erza and Riku, the more she was beginning to wonder if it had some good basis after all...

* * *

The team had decided to head back the next day, with all the villagers coming to see them off.

''What do you mean you can't take the money?'' Moka asked, surprised.

''Exactly what you heard, Sir. The request was never accepted like it should have been by the guild, it was stolen by our foolish friends.'' Erza returned.

He chuckled ''Well, there's no harm done. After all, we're saved thanks to you all. What if the money was more of a gift to say thank you? You deserve as much given all you've done for us.''

Natsu, Gray, Happy and Lucy seemed hopeful at this, the four really wanted Erza to accept. She seemed to be thinking it over. ''It's hard to refuse such a kind offer but I'm going to have to insist. Accepting the money would go against our guild's principles.''

The four slumped at these words, all their hopes dashed.

Bobo looked lRiku and Belle ''So you two agree?''

''It sounds about right. We've got things set up with our client anyway so we'll sort it all out when we get back.'' The latter returned.

'Yeah, but Erza what about the rest of the reward?' Riku inquired.

Moka and Bobo, who were well aware of his disability, waited for the redhead to explain. And she did. ''Riku brings up a good point. We would be willing to accept the Gate Key you offered on the request.''

Natsu and Gray looked on in dismay at this while Lucy's face lit up. ''All right!''

''Okay, so how about I take you all back to Hargeon?'' Bobo offered.

''Thank you, but I believe I have that covered.'' Erza smiled.

It turned out that the pirate ship she used to come here was still on the shoreline. And the crew was clearly waiting for her. Erza took this in stride while everyone could only look in shock.

''How did she get a pirate ship?!''

''Wow, I knew she was tough...''

''Damn, those wizards really are something else...'' A few of the villagers talked among themselves.

''And they look so happy to see her...'' Lucy trailed off. Indeed, as the pirates were all greeting Erza cheerfully. ''...do we have to get on that boat though?''

''Hey, I was looking to swim, care to join me?'' Natsu asked.

''NO WAY!''

''Hate to break it to you but he has a point. It's either the boat or swimming.'' Gray stated.

Lucy slumped a little at this, Belle patted her shoulder. ''If it helps we can get you to Hargeon quickly. It's a little too far for Riku to take us there now.''

She sighed ''Fine...''

* * *

Later, Riku and Belle were able to brief their client in and so earned their reward. Then, the team headed back to Magnolia together...

''You guys are lucky...'' Gray said sullenly.

''Yeah, we didn't get anything after all that.'' Happy added in a similar tone.

''Enough about that. It wasn't an official job and so we can't accept the money.'' Erza stated.

'I'd say we did plenty though. You guys seemed so glad to have finished the request before and look how much of a difference we made for the village. Doesn't any of that account for something?' Riku asked. Getting a reward for their work was nice, he wouldn't deny that. He didn't think this factor should completely take over what they do though, helping out and seeing the end result felt pretty nice.

''Yeah, so no complaints.'' Lucy added.

''Hey, you don't get to talk, you got a reward!'' Natsu huffed.

''So which key is that anyway?'' Belle asked curiously.

''It's Saggitarius the centaur.'' She replied. Zodiac keys were so rare, she never imagined she'd have two let alone five. So all was well in her book.

''By the way, Natsu, Gray, Happy, Lucy...'' Erza gave them a hard look. ''...I've been wondering, have you forgotten that the four of you're going to face punishment when we return?''

The aforementioned quartet froze, looking at the knight mage fearfully. They _had _in fact, forgotten about that.

''H-how come?!'' Happy cried.

''Yeah, even you agreed that everything worked out well in the end!'' Lucy added quickly.

''That is entirely different.'' Erza was unrelenting. ''The fact is, you broke the rules by stealing that request and this cannot go unanswered.''

''Erza, is it going to be that bad?'' Belle wanted to know.

''That's up to Master Makarov. Provided they learned their lesson though, it should be a somewhat moderate punishment.''

''L-like what?'' Lucy asked tentatively.

''Guys...what if it's _that punishment?'' _Happy asked.

Natsu and Gray blanched.

''No, no way!''

''Not that again!''

''Hold on, what? What're you talking about?!'' Lucy cried.

''W-we can talk him out of it, right? It doesn't have to go that far!'' Gray said quickly.

''Yeah, anything not go through that again!'' Natsu agreed.

''You guys are scaring me!'' Lucy whined. ''Someone explain what this punishment is!''

Riku looked at Erza 'You know, I only heard of that punishment...what the heck are they talking about?'

''Yeah, aren't they being overdramatic?'' Belle added.

Erza smiled slyly ''Who can say? Come on, let's keep going.''

* * *

_Well, let's stop here. _

_I hope it was good. I wondered how to deal with this chapter for a while but there we go._

_Yup, the one who taught Riku about his dragon slayer magic was Acnologia. But it wasn't like with Natsu and the others. Acnologia happened to find him when he was out on his own after he lost his family. He spent a year around the Dragon King before he left and Riku was taken to the Tower a while afterwards. For the record, Ultear was right. Dark Dragon Slayer magic comes with a problem that Riku's still trying to figure out. Acnologia basically forced him to learn that magic, otherwise he would've been killed. Given that it's a lost magic and all, the information about it is pretty scarce. But that's something I plan to work on in the next arc. I have a plan to explain the nature of his magic at the end of that arc. _

_Acnologia being his teacher spread out in some circles but it isn't something widely known either. Unlike with the other dragon slayers, Riku hates Acnologia and he really doesn't care to see him again._

_I remember the episode mentioning that the weapon Erza used there repels darkness. Not sure what that means but I figured it might get in the way so I decided to try this. _

_To clarify, Riku found Belle after that storm but she was almost one year old. This was a little over a year after Happy's egg hatched so she's younger than him. _

_Well, erm, that's all I had to say but if there are questions feel free to ask. Hope you like the story. Well, thanks for reading and I hope you keep it up. Till next time! _


	9. Chapter 9

_ElekTroz: You're welcome!_

* * *

Happy frowned a bit when he noticed an annoyed Natsu huff nearby. Not that he didn't understand the reason behind his partner's bad mood, the cat thought as he looked around.

They had returned from Galuna late two days ago, only to discover that someone had attacked the guild building that same night. They had discovered their HQ impaled with huge metal rods the very next morning. Thankfully, no one had been around so no one was hurt and they were now operating from the basement until they could everything rebuilt.

In the end, they realized who the culprits were: Phantom Lord.

Happy knew that Natsu's annoyance was due to the fact that Makarov had point blank refused to retaliate against the guild, believing it to be cowardly. He was just thinking of a way to cheer his partner up when Lucy, Belle, Riku, Elfman and Erza arrived.

''Is Natsu still sulking?'' Erza asked, unimpressed.

''Aye,'' Happy returned, because really there was no other way to describe it. No matter how much they tried to talk to him about this, he simply wouldn't hear it. Happy privately thought Natsu was being too stubborn but the boy would never let him the end of it if that was known.

Happy then noticed Riku, Lucy and Belle had new first wore a black and purple jacket with a white trim, a white shirt underneath, blue pants and black shoes. The second had a cream colored dress with a gold colored ribbon on the back along with yellow shoes while the third wore a pink shirt, a white sweater over it as well as a blue skirt and brown boots.

''So you guys went on that shopping trip after all?'' He clarified.

''Well, it was such a good sale that I couldn't miss it.'' Lucy returned brightly. Thankfully, even after dealing with the repercussions of their theft, they went on another job. It gave a decent sum of money which she gladly used on the venture. ''Natsu and Gray missed out big time. We got some nice stuff.''

''Indeed, I believe it could've been a good opportunity to bond for our team too. They were being entirely ridiculous.'' Erza stated.

''Says you. Why the heck would I wanna go do something as boring as shopping for clothes? It's only something girls would enjoy.'' Natsu returned. ''Besides, I bet you would've just made me carry the bags like last time.''

Erza gave him an unimpressed look ''You seem to be forgetting that the last time was punishment for damaging Evergreen's dress. She was perfectly in her right to do as much.''

'Besides, it was either that or she'd petrify you.' Riku added.

''And you really, really don't want that.'' Elfman chipped in. ''It could wind up in...some unmanly consequences.''

Lucy gave him an odd look ''...Why do I get the feeling you're speaking from experience here?''

''...No comment.''

Belle figured it was best to just change the subject ''Well, it was fine. Three of us know Requip magic, remember? There wasn't exactly much carrying done, besides, it's something you just have to do.''

''Probably not anytime soon. Natsu's got a whole bunch of the same clothes, remember?'' Happy reminded as Cana approached them.

She blinked ''Oh, yeah...'' It had been something Makarov and a few friends of their guild had made sure to prepare fire proof garments for the teen. Since Natsu seemed so fond of these clothes, they had prepared a number of similar ones for him.

''Oh, looking good, guys!'' Cana stated, leaving the girls and Riku to thank her. She grinned slyly and leaned near Erza. ''Of course, I bet I'm not the only one who thinks Riku really looks good over here, right?''

The redhead spared her a dark look, already having an idea of where this was going. ''Cana...''

The brunette didn't even blink at her warning tone, already too used to it. ''That didn't sound like a no.''

Okay, so _maybe_ it wasn't a no but Erza really didn't want to give her the satisfaction by admitting it. She was just glad Riku was distracted talking to their friends or otherwise he would've heard them. Erza wanted to know why Cana always got a kick out of such comments, they were rather vexing at times...

* * *

Belle stared at the pouch of berri being offered to them ''Is that okay, Sara-san?''

''Of course.'' A middle aged woman with honey colored hair and green eyes smiled. ''We had this ready but you two had left on that job. It slipped my mind after all the chaos that attack on your guild. You deserve the extra, even the mayor agrees that the produce you've turned over to us is excellent.''

Sara and her husband Alex were the owners of one of the biggest general stores in Magnolia. Riku and Belle had met them around the time they got their house and had befriended them with ease. The couple even treated the dragon slayer and his partner as if they were their own children.

They had been pleasantly surprised to learn about Riku's farming and were glad to help him along. In the end, the four had made a deal where Riku and Belle would turn over some of their produce for the couple's store and they would get a fee in return. Their results had gotten so good that Sara had decided to give them a surplus. It occasionally came in the form of food or something she thought they could use, which usually turned out to be helpful down the line.

Riku took the bag 'Thank you.'

''Not at all, you've earned it.'' She assured. ''Anyway, I hope you two haven't been overdoing it. Hard work is good but you have to watch yourselves.''

''We know, we know.'' Belle assured with a little laugh while Riku smiled. It was hardly the first time they received a similar talk but they appreciated the sentiment, knowing the woman truly cared about them.

The three were startled by the sound of some squealing and it brought their attention to a young man with messy ginger hair and sunglasses. He was surrounded by three girls who were fawning at him. Strange as it may seem, this far from an unusual sight in Magnolia.

''I thought so...Loke's at it again.'' Sara said, having noticed the four wandering around earlier.

''How does he keep getting so may girls to fall for him?'' Belle wondered. Loke was a known playboy after all and his fame ensured that many would know as much. ''It's like they just see good looks and that's that. I don't get it.''

Sara laughed ''You'll understand someday, Belle-chan. Perhaps, when you find a handsome knight of your own?''

Belle merely scoffed, pouting when she noticed Riku watching her with clear amusement as Loke walked over. ''Not you too. Fat chance of that happening anyway.''

''Yo, Riku, Belle. It looks like you're quite the busy bodies as always.'' He smiled.

'Same to you.' Riku returned. 'What, you on your way to a date?'

The latter's smile widened ''Glad you asked. It just so happens...''

* * *

''So we're still going to be pairing up for the night?'' Levy clarified as she walked through a street alongside Mira, Erik and Cubelios.

''Yeah, it's for the best.'' Mira returned.

The girl nodded back, they still couldn't be sure if Phantom Lord would return or not so they had taken to staying in groups since the attack. At least this way they could help each other somehow and hopefully things wouldn't get any worse. It was hard to believe they would stop at this after all.

''I hate letting them get away with this but Master's right that it's probably for the best.'' Erik grunted, at the girls' curious looks, he added. ''I've seen Phantom's Master before, the guy's as sneaky as they come. I wouldn't be surprised if his idea was to possibly try to get Fairy Tail in trouble with the Council. He'd probably manage to weasel his way out of any involvement around that incident.''

One of the rules set by the Magic Council was that fighting between guilds was strictly prohibited. Phantom Lord's guild master was a Wizard Saint like their own guild's master Makarov. It wasn't hard to imagine such a man having enough influence and clout to pull off the scenario Erik had in mind. This also might explain why they had yet to take any action after that night.

''Anyway, you sure about not coming to Riku's place, Levy? You know you'd be welcome.'' He added.

The girl smiled, knowing he was right ''That'd be nice but I've already made plans with Jet and Droy, they decided to have it be a Team Shadow Gear night so we're staying at Droy's place.''

''Figures...last we need is them having another breakdown.'' Erik deadpanned.

''Ara...'' Mira looked amused. Jet and Droy would be welcome as well but when those two set their minds to something like this... ''...you mean like when you two spent all that time studying about sound magic in the archives and they wound up thiking you had a crush on Levy?''

''Exactly like that.'' He returned flatly. It had been a while after Erik joined the guild and Levy had been curious at his mention of looking into sound magic and since she knew a couple of the books that could help, she had offered to help. It had been thanks in a big part to her that Erik grew as proficient as he was with it now.

Levy looked as exasperated as he felt at the mention of that day. As much as she loved her teammates, she just did not understand them sometimes.

''Well, we already know how you feel about them, Levy. Didn't you set them straight?'' Mira asked.

''I tried...'' The girl admitted. She was well aware that Jet and Droy were crushing on her and thus she had tried, gently to explain that she saw them as her best friends, or like her brothers. ''...but they refused to give up. I think they're trying to figure out how they can make it work.''

''Good grief...'' Erik trailed off, shaking his head. Cubelios's flat hiss proved that she more than shared the sentiment. He didn't see Levy that way either but it took a couple of days to convince her teammates as much. Those two could be rather annoyingly stubborn at times.

Mira looked curious as their reptilian companion came to a halt ''Is something wrong?''

Cubelios pointed to their left with her tail and they realized she was indicating Riku and Belle's house, which wasn't too far away. Knowing the snake's excellent hearing, they figured she had heard something that stood out to her.

''You think there's trouble?'' Mira wondered.

''Well, Riku did set up wards to stop intruders and those who mean harm...'' Levy trailed off. Knowing what she did of the runes powering the ward, she was aware that they were very effective so she couldn't imagine who could break in now.

When they approached the house, the four came across Lucy, who seemed relieved to see them.

''We made plans to stay the night before and then when I came by, there was all this noise. But it doesn't look like anyone broke in either...'' Lucy explained, not sure what to make of this.

''...That's because they didn't.'' Now that they were this close, Erik had a very good guess of what was going on.

He proceeded to take the spare key from where he knew Riku kept it before opening the door. The rest followed him, noticing the dragon slayer stopping near the hall as he sighed.

''So it _was _you...''

''Oh, hi guys!'' Happy greeted.

Lucy almost fell over when she saw Natsu, Gray, Erza and Happy all sitting comfortably around the area.

''Honestly, you guys...'' Levy sighed, shaking her head. No wonder the ward didn't activate. As hard as it may seem to believe now with them being so cavalier about breaking in, they didn't mean any harm.

''...So breaking in houses is apparently the norm for them, huh?'' Lucy deadpanned. Erik nodded, looking just as unimpressed.

They had acted a lot like this at the celestial mage's apartment just the previous night. Natsu and Happy had even done it earlier when Lucy first joined the guild.

Erza gave them a look ''I did not break in, thank you very much. I was early and I know where the spare key is, that's all.''

''Again, you could've let us in. We could've avoided all that.'' Gray groused.

''It serves you right.''

Mira seemed amused by the whole thing ''Do we want to know?''

''They were fighting, again by the time they arrived.'' Erza returned. ''I have no idea what happened before, nor do I care to find out. It somehow lead to them being hurt by the runes.''

''You guys probably got off lightly too. Riku and Belle would've kicked your butts again if they found out you had another of your fights here.'' Happy stated.

''Oh, there's no need to worry about that. After all, we won't be having any fighting here, am I understood?'' Erza demanded.

Natsu and Gray stiffened at the dark look she gave them. There was only one answer they could give under that tone and expression. ''...Y-yes, Ma'am...''

* * *

When Riku and Belle came back home, they weren't too surprised to find their friends present.

''Sooo...any chance you can set one of those runes up at my place?'' Lucy wanted to know.

Riku seemed amused 'I was wondering when you'd ask. Sure, I'll do it next time I come over.'

''Awesome, thanks!'' She beamed.

''Aw, you too? Riku's already paranoid enough to do it here.'' Happy stated.

Belle gave him a dry look ''It's about being sensible and given the way you guys act sometimes, I think a little paranoia is entirely justified.''

''You took the words out of my mouth.'' Erik agreed.

Soon, some of the group started talking about various things, like Lucy explaining how she promised that Levy would be the first to read the novel she was working. They, in turn, began telling her a few stories from their past.

''Ah, so that's why Levy-chan was sure she had to leave...'' The girl looked amused. ''...but wait, the way Happy was talking before...did Fairy Tail actually people who fight as often as Natsu and Gray?''

'Sure did. You wouldn't believe who it was though.' Riku stated.

She seemed skeptic ''Try me.''

''It was Erza and Mira.'' Belle informed.

''Ehhh?!'' Lucy's jaw dropped. Imagining the strict, stern knight mage and the sweet and happy go lucky waitress like that was proving to be a stretch. Which lead her to ask. ''...Are we talking about the same people here?''

Gray snorted in amusement ''You know how Mira was called the Demon? It wasn't just because of her magic.''

''Wow...just wow, how did you go from that to being as friendly as you are now?'' Lucy wanted to know.

''Simple, we grew up.'' Erza stated. ''The two of us apologized to each other and chose to make amends.''

''...Too bad the chances of that happening again are looking so slim.'' She muttered, looking at Natsu and Gray, who were glaring at each other.

''How long do we gotta keep this up anyway? I bet we could make sure Phantom doesn't come anywhere near the town again!'' Natsu stated.

''Don't start again. The consequences of fighting them aren't nearly worth it.'' Gray thought of what Erik concluded about the matter. ''Besides, I think Erik's right. For all we know, they could easily be goading us to fight.''

''So do I. Phantom's strength is not to be underestimated either, they have the Element 4 and Gajeel Redfox. At this rate, our guilds' strength is likely equal.'' Erza stated.

''I think I heard of the Element 4 but who's this Gajeel guy?'' Lucy wanted to know.

''A powerful iron dragon slayer who is said to be at S-class level.'' She replied. ''The Element 4 are powerful adversaries as well.''

''So what? We got 3 dragon slayers here, 4 if you count Laxus.'' Natsu amended. ''We can take 'em!''

''Look, we don't like this anymore than you do. Master's just as pissed off at this situation but it's for the guild's sake.'' Erik stated.

'Yeah, we're just going to have be to careful. We all agreed that they're probably not leaving things at this.' Riku reminded, Natsu grunted in annoyance.

The brunet's gaze traveled out the window. He didn't know much about Gajeel but he could agree that the dragon slayers he did know were certainly powerful.

Riku could admit that he felt the same couldn't be said about him. He was training to grow stronger, he hadn't given up on that. Still...there was _that_ and he had no earthly idea how to deal with it.

Shaking his head, he decided to leave the matter aside for now. He would be sure to defend himself and his friends to the best of his ability, that was all he could do.

* * *

Things seemed to be peaceful for a while the following day, but then...

A large crowd had gathered in the park, most looking disturbed and more than a little horrified. The group headed over to find out what was going on, only to freeze at the sight of Levy, Jet and Droy pinned to the tree. All three were seriously beaten up and were held up by iron clamps.

No one missed the Phantom Lord guild mark painted on the tree.

''Levy!''

''Jet! Droy!''

People quickly started helping helping them down and tending to them. Makarov made his way over after a few minutes, his eyes narrowed dangerously.

''...They smash our headquarters to pieces? I can put up with that...'' He hissed. ''...but harming my children?''

Golden light shone around him, many of those present could sense the mass of power he released in his rage.

''THIS MEANS WAR!'' He declared.

* * *

Over at Phantom's HQ, everyone knew what happened to Team Shadow Gear and had found it quite amusing. They had wasted no time praising the one behind that attack, who was none other than Gajeel. In fact, many of them were wondering what else they could do against Fairy Tail.

Suddenly the front door was blasted by a fiery explosion, blowing it away. This revealed a furious Natsu standing out, with Makarov and many other Fairy Tail members behind him. Mira, Lucy, Reedus, Max and Loke had stayed behind on Makarov's request to keep an eye out for Team Shadow Gear and Magnolia. He wouldn't put it behind Phantom Lord to pull off another scheme while they were here.

A number of Phantom Lords immediately jumped at them. Elfman used his take-over magic to transform his arm before striking the three of them at once. The rest were taken care of Gray and Cana, who struck hard and true with ice and cards that released a lightning blast respectively.

Natsu blasted several Phantom wizards with his flames. A few tried to gang up on Cubelios, who easily slammed them aside with her tail. At the same time, Erik beat up a couple of particularly large enemies with his Poison Dragon's Roar.

Likewise, several of their friends used their magic to attack the Phantom members. Macao trapped some with Purple Net, allowing Wakaba to take them down with Smoke Crush. Alzack took down a number of attackers with Spark Shot. When another enemy tried to sneak up on him, he was shot down by Bisca.

A group of weapon wielding enemies surrounded Riku, thinking they had him. They were surprised when he merely requipped his great sword and leveled it at them. A moment later, he launched into a spinning motion, this created a dark spiral that created a force which pulled them towards Riku and resulted in them all being taken down by Riku's sword. This was Black Vortex.

He saw a few who tried to attack him from the building's second floor and jumped up, surprising them by using a gate to teleport him closer before he gathered darkness into his hands and thrust them onward, this was Dark Dragon's Wing Attack. Like his friends, any reservations he had about this were long gone. Phantom Lord had crossed the line and they would pay.

Other members of Phantom try to stop Makarov but he activates his Titan magic and takes care of them with ease.

''This guy's a monster!'' One of them cried.

''Guess what? You messed with this monster's children! Don't think a human law would protect from me!'' Makarov snapped.

A few of the enemies began to step back in fear, finally seeing how strong Fairy Tail and its members were. Makarov headed upstairs but no one dared to get in his way.

As it so happened, this frightened group spotted Happy and Belle nearby and decided to hone in on them, believing it to be a safe idea.

The two cats quickly proved them wrong. Belle quickly cast a spell, a golden spell circle manifesting as she called ''Starlight Revolution!''

A big sphere of light was created, releasing multiple glowing bursts that took the enemies by surprise before the sphere burst, releasing a powerful wave that knocked them over.

Happy grinned, knowing there was no need to worry about her as he whipped out a pan and struck a few unsuspecting enemies nearby. ''Think I'm weak? I'm a Fairy Tail member too!''

Erza attacked with the Black Wing Armor, defeating many enemies in her wake. Laki took down others with her Wood Make magic.

Elfman's assault was forcefully stopped by none other than Gajeel, who had appeared shortly after Makarov had left. Elfman shifted his arm into a Stone Bull and punched the dragon slayer, who blocked it with his Iron Dragon's Club.

Suddenly, Gajeel's arms and legs elongated to long iron rods which he used to strike but Elfman quickly dodged, finally having to block one that came near him. The takeover mage was surprised to see that Gajeel's attack had hurt some of the Phantom members nearby.

''Gotta say, you're not half-bad, Beast Arm Elfman.'' The dragon slayer smirked, creating an iron pillar that almost hit his opponent and making him quickly dodge, only for that to leave him vulnerable to Gajeel's oncoming punch to his gut and then face.

He was about to continue attacking but then he was blasted by a torrent of flames that made him reflexively jumped back. A second later, Natsu landed in front of Elfman.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Magnolia...

Loke ran as fast as he could to the guild, wincing at his injuries. He had really thought he could help but he had completely messed up! He had to do something about it now.

Attacking Team Shadow gear was a set up, as he found out the hard way. He and Lucy had been ambushed by two of the Element 4 near the hospital and the confrontation went rather badly. The Phantom mages reveal that they had already defeated their other friends and used their surprise to attack. It had taken them a few moments to recover but even then, they had been in trouble. One of their enemies quickly resorted to using their friends as hostages to stop them in their tracks. Before Loke knew it, the other had knocked him out and they were soon gone.

They had to know...the others had to know that Makarov had been right to be suspicious. Phantom Lord did have other motives at play, their target had been Lucy all along!

* * *

Riku used Dark Dragon's Roar to defeat a few enemies nearby, looking around to see that the second floor was taken care of. As it so happened, the fight had taken him closer to a far away room he hadn't seen before. The enemies had mentioned something about a projection lacrima and Jose setting up for something and all this was just a phase of their plan...

He knew most of the fight was downstairs but Riku felt that he couldn't leave just yet. The enemies had unknowingly mentioned a few odds statements, leaving him with the sinking suspicion that something wasn't right.

His eyes narrowed as he glanced in the direction Makarov had taken earlier, deciding that it wouldn't hurt to keep an eye out for the guild master.

* * *

Jose Porla gave a smug smirk when Makarov crashed into his office. As expected...

''You've come at last, Makarov.''

''Jose, you bastard...'' He ground out. ''...you're going to answer for all you've done. Did you think I'd let you get away with this?''

The man remained calm ''Oh, far from it...'' He didn't miss the large figure of Aria of the air, one of his best mages appearing behind Makarov and reaching out a hand towards him.

A moment later, a dark gate materialized behind the third presence in the room, leaving him to cry out in shock. Startled, Makarov whirled around, surprised to see the man who was currently being restrained by the gate.

''What the-?'' Jose spluttered as Riku entered the room.

Just then, the trapped Aria managed to get out of the gate somehow, disappearing and reappearing behind the new arrival. He held out a hand towards Riku, who stiffened a moment later and managed to force him back by throwing his sword.

Makarov looked alarmed as Riku fell to his knees, looking pained ''What's wrong?!''

He didn't miss the faint aura around Riku or that his eyes turned black for a moment. The thing was, Makarov knew exactly what this meant but how did that man cause it?

Riku wasn't sure either, he had luckily avoided the worst of what that Phantom mage just did. Whatever it was, it caused quite a disturbance to his magic power and that had prompted his immediate reaction.

''So sorrowful...all that will remain is a fallen dragon.'' Aria stated.

''Not on my watch!'' Makarov snapped, stepping in front of Riku. Having seen what happened to the darkness dragon slayer, Makarov knew it was best not to let the man near them again so he quickly enlargened his fist and struck hard. Aria teleported, only to be surprised when Makarov blasted him with a powerful beam of light. This gave him the chance to strike hard a second later with two powered up fists, slamming the man into the wall and knocking him out.

''As expected, even my Element 4 cannot match up to you.'' Jose remarked. ''But no matter...''

Makarov's eyes widened as he realized something, leaving him to smash Jose's desk then. This revealed a hidden lacrima, which had been projecting the man's image. ''That lousy little...I bet he was never here all along!''

'Don't you think he was a little too calm back there, Master?' Riku frowned.

''Yeah...I don't like it. Something's up.'' Makarov scowled.

* * *

Fairy Tail left shortly afterwards, when they received a warning from Mira via a communication lacrima they had left behind, part of the group changed their destination to find the girl. Natsu had made sure to get said location out of one of their enemies, leading him, Happy, Belle, Riku, Erik and Erza to head over and get her back.

Around the same time, Lucy awakened to find herself in a tower, faced by the real Jose. When she demanded to know the truth behind his actions, he was all too happy to tell her.

''W-what...?'' Lucy breathed. ''No...it can't be...''

''I'm afraid that it very much can, Lady Lucy Heartfillia.'' Jose all but purred, he was clearly taking glee in her shock and distress at the news. ''Your father hired us to retrieve you, Fairy Tail was just...a bonus.'' He smirked. ''How does it feel to know that all what happened to your precious guild is all your fault?''

Lucy lowered her head, she had avoided telling anyone her last name because she had run away from home almost a year ago. She didn't even want to think about the life she left behind and was perfectly happy about the one she had with Fairy Tail.

Her father had only been one in name only for years, it was because of him that she couldn't take staying in that house anymore. It hadn't felt like home since her mother died.

''I'm not...I'm not ever going back! I hate that place and I don't want to see him again!'' She cried.

''The choice is quite out of your hands, my dear.'' Jose smirked. ''I'm not about to fail now.''

Lucy glared and stepped back, leaving him baffled. ''What're you doing?'' His eyes widened when she continued towards the window. ''Stop, you can't! This is...!''

The words died in his mouth as Lucy had already jumped, to his shock.

She closed her eyes _'I heard them...they're coming for me.'_

And she was indeed correct, for moments later Natsu ran and jumped up to catch her. The momentum would have sent them to hit a wall had Cubelios not caught them both then. Natsu's head landed between breasts but he really didn't care at the moment.

''Just in time, huh?'' He chirped.

''Yeah...I knew you'd save me.'' Lucy returned.

She saw Riku, Belle, Erik, Happy and Erza all arriving as they landed. ''Good going, Natsu!'' Erza praised before she cut the ropes on Lucy's wrists and legs.

'Are you okay?' Riku inquired.

''Did they do anything to you?'' Erik demanded, similarly concerned.

Lucy lowered her head ''...I'm fine. I think so...''

She didn't miss that none of them looked convinced. They obviously knew something had happened while she was up there.

''We came when we heard the word from Mira and Loke. Glad you're safe.'' Belle smiled. She could tell that Lucy didn't want to talk about whatever was bothering her so she asked ''You ready to go back?''

''Wait, what? We're right at their base, why are we leaving?'' Natsu demanded.

''Natsu, we came for Lucy.'' Erza reminded. ''Also, many of the others need time to recover. It would be unwise to push this battle further.''

''Master's the only one who can stand up to their boss, remember? We can't keep this up.'' Belle stated and Cubelios nodded in agreement.

''Riku's the only reason things didn't go badly for Master back there. Phantom's always full of tricks, remember? We've got to make sure we're ready.'' Erik added.

'I know you want revenge and we understand. Look, we've won today. Keep that in mind.' Riku offered.

''...I'm sorry...''

Everyone looked at Lucy in surprise but she went on ''...it's all my fault. I just...I don't want to leave...I'm really happy in Fairy tail. Happier than I've been in the longest time...'' She looked up, her eyes shining with tears. ''...I want to stay with everyone.''

''Well, of course you can stay. Why are you crying?'' Natsu inquired.

''Lucy...'' Happy frowned in concern.

Riku let out a breath '...Give her some time, guys. Let's go back, okay?'

''Yes,'' Erza smiled at Lucy. ''No need for those tears, I'm sure everyone will be glad to see you. Now shall we return home?''

* * *

_And that's that. _

_I thought about just how to handle this chapter for a while. I wound up changing a few things from my original plans when inspiration struck so I hope it was good. _

_The thing about Riku's magic? There's a very good reason Darkness Dragon Slayer magic is actually more troublesome than other elements and it's the same thing Ultear hinted about before. It's what's giving Riku trouble about handling his magic to a point and leaving him with those doubts about himself. There's a fail safe of sorts to halt the problem but given how they're dealing with a Lost Magic, information is scarce so there's not much else they can do. You're going to see what it is soon and I'm going to be explaining about it shortly. There's a bit that Riku doesn't know either. For now let's just say, Acnologia really made quite a problem by forcing him to learn that magic. _

_Well, that's all I had to say. If there are any questions, feel free to ask. Thanks for reading and I hope you keep it up, till next time!_


	10. Chapter 10

Things were still tense at Fairy Tail's HQ after the recent events. Despite their guild coming out on top, there was no doubt that Phantom Lord wouldn't leave it at this and their fight was far from over.

Some of the members were with Lucy as she told them about what she learned from Jose; the reason behind Phantom's attacks on their guild.

Gray had wondered why the Celestial mage avoided mentioning her last name at all costs but he never imagined this to be the reason. ''You ran away from home?''

She nodded with a frown ''It was all too much. That place hasn't felt like home in years. My father's so overbearing, he was determined to control every part of my life for his own gain. That's what all this is about, why he hired those creeps! I hate him! He was planning to force me into an arranged marriage just to further his buisness. I might as well just some asset for him to further his own ends, he doesn't care about me at all. I never wanted to go back there again. Everything got so much better when I settled down here and it feels like I have a true home again...'' The girl lowered her head. ''...I'm sorry, I know it's not much but that's really all I can say now. I wouldn't blame you for hating me. I never imagined he'd something like this. It's all my fault...''

''What on earth are you talking about?''

She looked up in surprise at Erza's question, hearing the redhead continue ''That's not true and none of us blame you.''

'I think anyone would want to get away from such a life. Family isn't just about blood relations, he's the one who failed you.' Riku stated. 'You feel the same way about this guild as we do, you know how things work around here. You're one of us, you know?'

''Damn straight, Riku!'' Natsu grinned. ''You know, Luce, maybe you were born in that rich life but I just can't see you fitting in those fancy places. You belong here with us in this free and wild guild.''

''You guys...'' The blonde mumbled, feeling her eyes well up while the rest began to smile. Those words meant more to her than she could say.

* * *

_''Phantom?'' _

Cana and Mira had reached out to Laxus and the Raijinshuu via a communication lacrima, quickly bringing him up to speed.

What Laxus said next surprised both girls. _''That...might actually explain a few things.''_

Mira blinked ''What do you mean?''

_''Hold on, I'll just show you.''_ They watched as he moved his lacrima higher, allowing them to see that a green barrier spread wide about the area near him.

''What the...?'' Cana stared.

_''We were just on our way back when some creeps tried to ambush us. I got to fry most of them them but by the time we caught up to the rest, they'd already cast this thing. They've made themselves scarce since.'' _Laxus grunted in annoyance. _''None of our spells are enough to make a dent in the damn thing but we're still trying to figure out how to break it. The whole deal seemed so random but with this news...''_

Cana grimaced ''Yeah, it must be them. The cowards just want to keep you guys away.''

_''Any news on Mystogan or Gildarts?'' _The dragon slayer inquired. Sure, they hadn't seen the latter in a long time but it didn't hurt to ask.

''None. All our attempts to reach out to them just won't work.'' Mira returned.

Laxus' brow furrowed _''I hate to say it but I can't promise that we'd make it back soon but we'll keep trying. You all hold down the fort there in the meantime.''_

The girls nodded back and ended the communication. Cana sighed ''Just great...that creep Jose sure covered his bases.''

Mira went to tell Makarov about the situation, he crossed his arms as he responded ''Very well, it can't be helped. We'll just have to do our best and be ready for anything.''

* * *

''No, no way!''

Riku and Belle quickly noticed an obviously upset Lucy staring down Mira, Macao, Wakaba and Reedus.

''But Lucy...'' The second started.

''I said no!'' She cut him off firmly.

''What's going on?'' Belle inquired as the two of them walked over.

Lucy quickly explained how she overheard the three men talking some plans over. One such plan involved getting her to Fairy Tail's secret hideout since she was their enemy's target.

''It's to keep you safe.'' Mira tried.

''How do you expect me to just stay back and do nothing while you're all planning to fight when I'm the reason that started all this?'' The blonde retorted. ''Everyone's been so welcoming...so good to me. I refuse to just hide while you're all putting yourselves in danger. I know I'm not strong as some of you but I'll try not to be a burden. There has to be something that even I can do to help. I'll fight those creeps to the end!''

'I say we should let her.' Riku put in, to everyone's surprise. 'If Lucy feels so strongly about it, who are we to stop her? Isn't it better for her to be here where we can all support her? Besides, you've seen the kind of thing Phantom can pull off, can any of you really be sure that just hiding her away would work?'

No one was about to argue with that logic. One reason being that they still didn't know how Phantom Lord was able to pull off destroying their guild building with such little attention for hours.

''I completely agree.'' Everyone looked back to see Makarov walking over with Erza. ''Jose Porla happens to be among the sneakiest people I have ever seen, expect the worst from him. He wouldn't have started this if he hadn't been confident of Phantom's chances, that's all the more reason to be careful. Lucy is being true to herself, doesn't the fact that she alreadys care so much prove that she belongs with us? I know you brats, you'd be making the exact same choice if you were in her shoes.''

Erza's lips twitched as she took in the silence that followed these words, believing it was rather telling. Master was definitely right after all.

She also thought Riku had the right idea. Lucy may be the newest addition to their family but she certainly was as spirited as the rest of them. Frankly, the knight mage believed Lucy needed this as well, the guilt because of her father's actions must be weighing heavily on her but doing something about it could certainly help.

It was this thought that prompted her to speak ''Very well then, but we'll set some rules. Lucy, you are to stay with at least one of us whenever possible. I trust your spirits to watch out for you but there are limits to what they can do. As Master said, we can't treat this war carelessly.''

''Right.'' She nodded firmly.

Belle landed on her shoulder ''It'll be okay, we've got your back.''

'You can count on that.' Riku added.

Lucy began to smile ''Thanks...''

* * *

As it so happened, Phantom Lord's retribution came sooner than expected...

The earth shook, giving the impression that there might have been an earthquake at first. Everyone realized it couldn't be right as they saw a giant shadow on the window. The sight that awaited them was a shocking one.

''What the heck is that?!''

''I've never seen anything like it...''

A large figure which basically looked like Phantom Lord HQ on six, gargantuan mechanical legs was marching towards them. Suddenly, a part of the figure opened to reveal a big cannon aimed at them.

Jose's voice resounded around the area ''Now Fairy Tail, you'll only get the one chance. Surrender Lucy Heartfillia immediately or suffer the power of Jupiter the Magical Cannon!''

There was only way Fairy Tail would ever respond to such a command.

''Not happening, you bastard!'' Natsu snapped.

''Aye Sir!'' Happy agreed.

''Not a chance!'' Erza said firmly.

''Forget it!'' Gray cried.

''You're not taking her!'' Belle added.

This was followed by many cries of assent, everyone was of the same opinion. They had no intention of surrendering to their enemies.

Lucy felt her eyes tear, she had a feeling they would go this far but there was no denying how this display warmed her heart. They'd only known her for such a short time and yet...

She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked to see it was Riku's, who gave a gentle smile as he addressed her 'You're willing to fight for us but you need to remember that it goes both ways. As if we'd just leave one of their mercy, we're all in this together. You made your resolve, right?'

Her expression grew determined as she wiped her eyes ''...Yeah, I'm fighting with all I've got.''

Erik cracked a smirk ''That's better.'' He looked back at the giant. ''I get the feeling he expected our answer anyway, brace yourselves.''

Jose soon proved his conclusion accurate ''I suppose you fools will always be the same. Very well, die you pathetic weaklings!''

In moments, the cannon was leveled at them and its firing hole began to glow. Makarov stepped up ''All of you, stay back. That's an order, I'll take care of this!''

Some of those present were alarmed, they had clearly wanted to help too but there was little time. The cannon fired, unleashing a powerful beam that honed in fast on the target.

Makarov was surrounded by an intense aura ''Maximum Defense Seal!''

He released several magical seals which floated around him and the guild. The seals lined up, creating a makeshift shield that served to negate the blast.

Cheers arose at this result, Natsu grinning widely ''Way to go, Gramps!''

The general elation turned into alarm and concern when Makarov fell to a knee. Cana frowned ''You okay?''

''Yeah...just winded...''

Jose's voice resounded again ''Hm, I suppose I should have expected this much, Makarov. But even you can't hold this power off forever. I can easily fire another blast in 15 minutes. How long will you last?''

Gray's eyes narrowed ''We've gotta destroy that thing...''

''Leave that to us!'' Happy declared as he flew, picking up Natsu then.

''Yeah, we got this!'' He agreed, both ignoring any attempts by their friends to stop them.

''Those idiots...'' Erik grunted. He agreed with the logic but they were jumping into an enemy base on their own, that was too reckless.

''We should go after them.'' Belle stated, making to pick up Riku, who nodded back.

But then...

A dark mass surrounded the top of the enemy HQ. It quickly disappeared and a myriad of ghostly figures surged forth, immediately flying towards the members of Fairy Tail.

''What the heck are those things?!'' Macao cried.

''Shade troopers.'' Makarov replied, frowning. ''They're a form of Jose's Shade magic, make sure to keep far away from those things and take them down.''

And so the fight got underway, with everyone fending the ghostly soldiers off to the best of their ability. Alzack and Bisca immediately prepared their rifles, using their Guns magic to take down a number of them at once. The first's Sunlight Shot dispersing many in an instant. Likewise, Reedus utilised his Pict-magic to create some swords, Cana threw a pair of cards that unleashed a blast of fire on more enemies and Belle used Starlight Revolution to take out more. Loke used his Ring magic to create a twister while Erik took down more with Poison Dragon's Roar.

At first it seemed to go be going well, with the fighters managing to take a great number of shades. However, it quickly turned out that this meant nothing for all the ghostly soldiers had reformed.

''What?!''

Makarov frowned ''Jose must be recreating them...''

''So how do we stop it?'' Macao cut in.

''...my best guess would be to take down the caster. I thought of floating to their base but those shades keep blocking my every move. There might be another way though...''

But Makarov didn't get further than that for the earth started to shake under their feet again...

* * *

It hadn't taken long for Natsu and Happy to arrive at the room where Jupiter's lacrima lay. But they found that it had apparently been left a guard, a man who soon introduced himself as Totomaru 'The Great Fire', a member of the Element 4. The man had the rather troublesome ability to control any flame around him, which unfortunately also includes Natsu's.

Happy stared when Totomaru swiftly manipulated Natsu's flaming fist to make him punch himself ''He can do that too?!''

''If this much surprises you, you haven't seen anything.'' The Phantom mage stated smugly.

''Same goes to you, bastard, no way I'm going to lose here!'' Natsu snapped.

* * *

The source of the shaking was once more, the enemy's mobile base. A hatch opened, releasing a large bronze and black golem like figure with some armor on its arms and legs. It took one step forward, exuding a mass of power that many could sense at once.

Elfman transformed his arm before trying to punch, only to be stunned when it repelled the blow with ease. Similarly, it was able to brush aside Alzack's bullets and Macao's Purple Flare as well.

''This is the Super Giant Phantom Mage Mark One.'' Jose informed. ''I've taken extra care to power its capabilities so I doubt you weaklings would do much of anything to it.''

''How's this for weak?! Ice Make: Cold Excalibur!'' Gray created a big ice blade which he used to strike, stiffening when the golem still continued to walk despite the bits of ice on its legs.

It raised its arms and slammed them down, creating a strong tremor that threw those nearby off. Then it leveled an arm for a punch, leaving them shocked at Gray, who quickly dodged, but the arm went much farther than they expected.

Lucy quickly summoned Taurus, who met the golem head to head before smashing its arms aside with his axe. The golem then spun around itself, forcefully tackling Taurus hard.

The spirit grunted as he tanked the blow, looking up when he felt something familiar ''Lucy-san, look out!''

The girl's eyes widened at this, following his line of sight to see some shades coming towards her. Just as she made to get away, a portal opened before a familiar ebony sword destroyed them. She let out a breath, sparing Riku a grateful look as he got his sword back.

Makarov had apparently decided to take things into his own hands. Using his Giant magic, he grew to the golem's height and blocked its next strike with ease before punching it back. He could feel magic from the being's chest and knew that it had to do with its incredibly high resistance.

Cana grimaced as a few Shades she destroyed quickly reformed again, wondering how long their enemy could keep doing this.

Erza was thinking along similar lines. No matter how many they took own, more came along. The problem was, she could see the toll it was taking on her family, who were beginning to get disheartened at the sight of the seemingly endless opposition. The situation was only made worse when the golem revealed a lacrima embedded in its hand, placing it on the ground before it glowed. A number of figures smaller but somewhat similar to the golem rose up from the ground.

Fortunately, they found out that those things weren't nearly as resistant as their source when Belle leveled three staffs before she cast ''Three Layered Magic Circle: Ice Storm!''

A storm of wind and ice shards arose, crushing the four smaller golems with ease. Elfman, Erik and Cubelios proceeded to plow through others. After a moment of thought, she decided to help Makarov decimate the golem, hopefully wrapping things fast so they could deal with the lingering issue of the Shades.

Requipping a big hammer, she called out a warning to the guildmaster before swinging it. Makarov ducked his head in time, the hammer slamming the golem's head a second later. The force of the weapon knocked it back and Makarov took the chance to punch it then, enhancing the strike with his magic.

Erza's concerns were proven accurate. For not only were many of the fighters getting tired, the sight of the Shades reforming no matter what they did was really lowering the morale.

''Keep going, we can't stop here!'' Elfman cried, knowing that this was really bad. The enemies were relentless, thus immediately seizing on this opening.

Suddenly a number of gates opened before their eyes, each one releasing beams that obliterated the Shades, taking out a massive amount together. Elfman grinned, having seen this idea recently. This was one of Riku's newest ideas, Dark Dragon's Shadow Lancer.

The take-over mage was especially pleased to see that it seemed to stir their friends into action, knowing they couldn't stay down. The Shades were back again, to no one's surprise. But what happened next threw everyone for a loop.

A good amount of them seemed to come together, becoming a massive Shade about half the size of the golem. Everyone could feel how much worse this thing compared to its brethren. Makarov blasted it with his light magic, causing a good amount of damage but then it more Shades floated to it, disappearing and fixing up the damaged part.

It lashed out then, its arms like whips that forced those nearby back. This however left them vulnerable to more enemies. Those were destroyed by Riku's Dark Dragon's Roar. However, one was able to dodge and went through Riku then, causing him to get on a knee, wincing.

Before anyone could react, the big Shade struck Riku and lifted him. Erza, Makarov, Belle, Erik and Taurus attacked in tandem from different sides, causing significant damage to the creature as it dropped its captive. Gray and Lucy immediately hurried over to Riku, alarmed to see the teen in this state. He was shuddering as his expression creased in pain. All their attempts to rouse him were useless. If anyone had looked closer, they would have seen a slight glow on him then, but it quickly faded away.

''What did that thing do?'' Belle demanded, alarmed.

''Those creatures are cursed.'' Taurus informed grimly. ''You all felt that vile magic...I hate to think of what it would do now that they've combined. Calling it awful would be an understatement.''

Gray ground his teeth, glaring at the fighters that Riku had intervened to save ''What the hell were you idiots doing?! It doesn't matter how hard the fight is, we were always gonna be in this for the long haul. Did you think anyone would just get to walk away when the going got rough?!''

None of them could look the creation wizard in the eye, feeling shame and guilt well up as they knew he was right. They had already made their resolve to fight too, Riku shouldn't have had to bail them out.

''What the heck are you waiting for? If you want to make up for this, stand up and fight!'' Cana cried.

''That's right! Are you brats going to back down now?'' Makarov allowed himself a smirk at the loud cry of 'NO!' this caused. ''That's more like it!''

Mira felt relieved, knowing her family would not back down here. Still, she couldn't help the frustration that rose with in her as wished that she could do something to help. Here they were, all fighting for their guild and their comrade but she was powerless. If only she hadn't lost the ability to use her magic...

Her eyes landed on the Phantom HQ, wondering how Natsu and Happy were doing on their end.

* * *

Natsu jumped towards Jupiter, growling when Totomaru intercepted ''Outta my way!''

''What, you think I'm going to move because you say so?'' He returned tauntingly. ''Why would I? You can't even do a thing against me.''

The Fairy Tail mage grimaced, knowing they were running low on time. Totomaru blasted him with Blue Fire, only to pause in surprise when Natsu responded by eating it.

''Wait, the only one who can do that...'' He blinked. ''...so you're the Salamander. Well, this is a bad match up for both of us but even more so for you.''

Happy hated to admit it but he knew the man was right. Natsu's magic gave him good resistance to fire spells but it didn't mean anything when he couldn't even land an attack. What could they do?

Natsu did something that took both him and Totomaru in surprise. At first it looked like he was going to use Fire Dragon's Roar but then...

Happy's jaw dropped while Totomaru's eye twitched in annoyance, his face soaked ''Did you just spit on me?!''

Natsu laughed ''You fell for it!''

''You vulgar little brat!'' Totomaru snapped. ''Eat this, Orange Fire!''

The former smirked and ate it, but his confidence faded in moments as he discovered that this fire smelled very, very bad. ''Gah, it reeks!''

''Serves you right!'' Totomaru retorted.

Happy looked alarmed as the timer declared that there were only two and a half minutes ''Natsu, come on!''

''I know!'' The teen charged up a big fire, deciding to go for broke.

''You really don't learn!'' Totomaru taunted, preparing to control the flames. But then Natsu put more power into it, burning the surprised Phantom mage before unleashing the blast.

He laughed ''You missed!''

''I never aimed at you!''

The answer left the man stunned, feeling a pit of dread as he turned around. As he feared, the blaze was aimed towards Jupiter's lacrima...

* * *

''Hey, look!''

Everyone saw a lot of smoke coming from Jupiter's location, with some tell-tale flames rising up in the air. A part of the area even seemed to be close to falling apart, they had a good guess on what it meant.

''He did it!'' Belle exclaimed.

Gray smirked ''Count on that Ash brain to cause some real chaos.''

Jose cursed, knowing Jupiter's lacrima was no more ''It's not finished yet! We will not lose here!''

As if in response to his declaration, the golems attacked with increased vigor. The smaller ones even seemed to be targeting Lucy, leaving a few members to help Taurus defend his summoner. The blonde was forced to only rely on her whip for restraint to help someone else take the enemies as there wasn't much else she could do now. The problem was, this seemed to be some sort of distraction as Jose was clearly up to something with that base of his. He had done something to change it, it now looked some what like the the Mark 1 golem. This was the Super Giant Phantom Mage Mark 2.

Makarov used a powerful earth spell, creating a rupture in the ground that decimated most of the golems and even damaged the big one. But the remaining ones still pressed on, a few targeting the incapacitated Riku as well.

It was around then that something rather strange happened. Riku got up, but something clearly wasn't right.

He was surrounded in a black aura, his eyes now gone black. For a few moments, his expression was unreadable but then it turned into a cold as he thrust his arm forward. A wave of darkness surged, destroying couple of golems and some shades in half. But the attack didn't stop there, a few of the Fairy Tail members had to get out of the way before it hit them.

''What's going on?'' Taurus stared. He'd known the brunet for a short time but it was enough to see that Riku would never condone hurting a friend for no reason.

Belle's eyes widened ''No...''

''Did that big shade...?'' Lucy started.

Mira bit her lip ''It's not that...Lucy, this is the burden Riku was forced to bear.''

''What?'' The girl looked at her in surprise.

But she didn't have time to explain as Riku continued attacking. He seemed to make no discrimination between friend or foe, attacking all in sight. An etheral black wing manifested on his back as scales began to form on his arm as he kept going, regardless of what was in his way.

What really confused both Lucy and Taurus was that Fairy Tail seemed familiar with this. Everyone was making it clear that they knew to get out of the way while helping those who couldn't.

''What's the deal? Did this happen before?'' Lucy demanded, barely noticing how Makarov and Erza were trying to get closer but were impeded by the Mark 1 golem.

Seeing that cold, detached expression on the usually friendly and gentle brunet was so wrong...Riku was really scaring her. He was beginning to look like a monster. This couldn't be normal. What was going on here?

Loke fended off a blast of darkness coming their way with his magic ''Dark Dragon Slayer magic is considered especially dangerous, many actually avoided it for a long time.''

''Wait, what? But why would Riku...''

''He didn't have a choice.'' Mira cut her off. ''We told you about his mentor, remember?''

Lucy did, making things begin to fall into place. She'd heard a little about it on their way back from Galuna, which prompted her to ask her friends. Belle and Erza told her about the dragon responsible for teaching Riku dragon slayer magic. The truth certainly was a shock.

He was known as Acnologia, the Black Dragon of the Apocalypse. A monster known to be undefeated, feared by many. No one knew why he chose to teach Riku, the brunet himself had no idea. He had told them that the dragon was certainly cruel like his reputation proved. Riku had apparently spent almost a year with him before the dragon left and he wound up meeting Erza and later, Erik.

Thinking about it this way gave her a new understanding of the situation ''So then...''

''Acnologia would've killed Riku if he hadn't obeyed him back then.'' Loke informed, confirming her suspicions.

Mira looked on, her expression sad ''He's had to live with this ever since he was a child. It only happens when he's in some very extreme situations, those Shades pushed him to this state...''

Lucy lowered her head, feeling terrible for her earlier thoughts, especially as she recalled how Riku had helped her out before. He'd even gone out of his way to back her up earlier...how could she think that of him? Of course he hated this thing...

They watched as Makarov took the down the Mark 1 Golem with some punches and and another earth spell that left it to crumble. Erza waved her hand in a specific pattern. Riku froze then, an odd glow surrounding him for a few seconds before he fell to his knees. He was breathing heavily but in moments, he looked up, his eyes were back to the usual normal dark blue color

He blinked, seeming confused and a bit dazed as a relieved Belle flew over, hugging him. His eyes widened after a moment 'Belle...did I...?'

''It's okay, no one's hurt!'' She returned.

The purple cat wasn't too surprised when this clearly didn't make him feel better. That horrible state was something he hated more than anyone else but they just didn't know what to do about it.

''Really, it's fine. It's not your fault. We can't stop here, you know that!'' She reminded.

He nodded after a moment, both turning as the Mark 1 golem fired a blast from the lacrima in its other hand towards them. Riku held up his great sword, a purple glow surrounding the blade as he leveled the weapon at his shoulder. The sword was encased in a similar aura that made it seem even bigger. He struck once the blast came closer to them, the move sending the blast right back to sender and knocking it down. This was Riku's Counter Stance; a technique developed based on one of his Secret arts.

He proceeded to cast Dark Dragon Shadow Lancer again, destroying all enemies nearby and damaging the Mark 1 golem.

Getting an idea then, he created a sphere of darkness over the Phantom HQ It burst, releasing a myriad of scattered blasts that fell on it like rain. Not only taking out more shades but causing plenty of damage. As a result, the the structure was forced much closer to the ground.

Cheers began to emanate at this turnout. ''You go, Riku!''

''Knew we could count on you!''

''Yeah, that's our Bahamut!''

''You're doing great!''

''Riku, you're a real Man!''

Riku felt gratitude towards their family while Belle beamed before looking at him ''See? It's all fine.''

The brunet smiled a bit but his expression faltered as his exhaustion overcame him and he fell to a knee, leaning against his sword.

''Riku!''

He gave his partner a reassuring look 'It's all right. Just...you know...'

And Belle did. There was one way to stop that terrible state where he lost control but it was especially hard on him...

The two were joined by Erza, who smiled ''You've both done very well...'' She turned back to the others. ''...now then, Riku has given us a direct opening to their base. It's time we stop Phantom for good!''

''Now that's music to my ears!'' Gray stated while Erik smirked.

''Yeah, let's get 'em!'' Elfman added.

''Right. It's time to end this.'' Makarov declared.

* * *

Natsu grinned proudly at the sight of the destroyed lacrima. Finding Totomaru shortly afterwards, the man having been blown back in the chaos caused by his last attack.

''Phantom Lord's going down!'' He declared.

''Aye Sir!'' Happy agreed, while Totomaru looked on in fear.

* * *

Jose growled, knowing that Fairy Tail was closing in on their turf. ''Damn persistent pests...I refuse to fall. This is far from over!''

* * *

_Well, let's stop here. _

_I hope it was good. For a while, I wasn't sure how to handle this chapter. I mean, I did wind up changing a few things here and there so I had to adjust. Makarov and Erza were taken out early in canon and they could have really turned things around for Fairy Tail before. I figured this would affect the battle as well so I upped the difficulty so to speak. _

_And now you see the issue around Riku's magic. Well, I intend to get into more detail by this at the end of this arc but to put it simply, Dark Dragon Slayer magic has a curse that makes the user loses control if pushed past a certain point. They get a whole lot of power with a terrible price for it in return. Riku's been dealing with this issue since he was a kid so there was one way to help and using it makes him suffer the backlash. It progresses over time but I just wanted this to be the reveal and I'll show more about it later. _

_Anywho, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy it. Till next time!_


	11. Chapter 11

One may think that with the progress made against the enemy, Fairy Tail's battle would be somewhat easier now.

But no, in fact, far from it.

The destruction of Jupiter made Jose decide to activate his secret weapon, the Super Giant Mage Phantom Mark 2. Consequently, the number of shades increased and the battle continued at an even harder pace. Unlike before, however, Fairy Tail would not back down. They were determined to fight back as hard as it took and win.

Makarov led the group of Erza, Gray and Elfman, who proceeded to use the opening Riku gave them to infiltrate the base.

Cana threw three cards, they conjured a bolt of lightning that destroyed a number of shades before. Riku used Dark Dragon Slayer's Roar to take out a good amount that was in the air. Lucy had Sagittarius shoot others down with help from Bisca, everyone was continuing the fight with all they had. Riku noticed a couple of shades attempting to ambush Lucy and Cana so he quickly dispatched them with ease.

''Don't fall back now, we've made a lot of progress here!'' Cana called out.

'The others are taking it to Phantom right at their base. We've got to do our part too.' Riku stated.

''Right!''

''You got it!''

''Count on us!''

Belle began to smile at the positive response, knowing there was absolutely no need to worry about here. ''All right then...'' She requipped four staves. ''...Four-layered Magic Circle: Wild Hurricane!''

The staves glowed, created magic circles which conjured a powerful hurricane that swept many enemies up in the air.

''Nice going, Belle!'' Lucy exclaimed, making the cat beam in return. She was just getting used to working on the more advanced forms of Staff magic so it was really good to see it all panning out.

''Hey, what's that thing doing?'' They heard Laki ask, looking back at the Giant Mage then.

Surprised, they realized it was writing something in mid-air. Something big that looked awfully like a...

''Is that a magic seal?'' Macao stared.

Mira looked alarmed ''I've seen that form before. They're going to cast Abyss Break!''

Cana blinked ''Abyss Break?''

Saggitarius frowned ''I've heard of that before, moshi-moshi. It's a forbidden spell that uses four elements to destroy. Are they out of their minds? Casting something of this caliber could easily level the city.''

Alzack scowled ''Those creeps don't give a damn about that, how do we stop it?''

It was Mira who answered ''We can't. The thing about that spell is that it uses anchors that have to be close to the origin of the area, it's usually large sources of power.''

''Wait, is that why one of those lights we just saw flickered and got so weak? Those anchors are on the base?'' Belle wondered.

''They'd have to be...wait a minute...'' Mira's eyes widened as a thought occured to her. Natsu had defeated one of the Element 4. The light had been from the general location they believed the fight had taken place. ''...the Element 4.''

''What about them?'' Alzack wondered.

But Loke caught on ''The anchors...you might be on to something, Mira. It's very possible.''

'Yeah, I wondered why none of them showed up. Jose just keeps using the Shades but given how badly he wants to win...' Riku trailed off.

Cana agreed that it was all making sense ''I guess it's all the more reason for us to hold down the fort. We'll have to leave the rest up to Master and the others.''

Loke was about to speak but then the Giant Mage took a step forward, which was when he noticed something heading their way ''Brace yourselves!''

* * *

Makarov's groups not only encountered more Shades but a good number of Phantom Lord mages too. They had little trouble dealing with the first group that came their way, which gave them time to decide their next step. Makarov had also picked up on the danger of Abyss Break and warned the others. Like Mira, he quickly concluded that the Element 4 must indeed be the spell anchors, knowing that it used four elements of magic.

Thus, the guild master headed off to face Jose while Erza, Gray and Elfman headed off to both see about finding Natsu and Happy and take down the rest of the Element 4.

Eventually the three split up and it wasn't long before Elfman ran into Sol of the Element 4. It wasn't long before the battle began.

Elfman used his magic on his right arm to use the Black Bull form and lunged at the Phantom mage, who spun around, dodging with ease. It didn't faze Elfman though, who kept up the offense. Sol was nimble, able to make sure that none of the moves hit.

''Hm, you only use your right arm to fight. So it's just like I heard...'' Sol mused.

''Quit messing around and fight me! This isn't manly at all!'' Elfman snapped.

''Manly? That attitude is priceless coming from someone like you.''

He bristled ''What's that supposed to mean?''

''I was well hidden so you didn't notice but I could see your memories after you stepped on me.'' Sol stated. ''There's a few rumors about you and now I knew they're all true...''

''Enough blabbing!'' Elfman tried to attack again, only for the man to dodge.

''Hmph, such a brute. You think this makes you seem like a man? You're just a doddering oaf.'' Sol huffed. ''Worse than that, look what you did to your little sister.''

Elfman stilled at this and Sol cast Roche Concerto, summoning a number of rocks to attack his opponent.

''Well, it's true isn't it?'' Sol continued, waving a hand. The sand around Elfman rose and attacked him. ''I've heard the whole story but seeing it was something else. You tried to take-over a beast years ago, but in the end, you lost control and killed her. Not only did you never achieve the full Take-over, your older sister lost the ability to use her own magic thanks to you.''

Elfman grimaced, but there was nothing he could say to that. It was indeed true.

The three of them had decided to learn all they could about Take-over magic together. At first it was a choice they made to support Mira, who wound up discovering her power after taking on a demon that terrorized their old home. The people had been terribly cruel to her but Elfman and Lisanna wouldn't have it and they wanted to do all they could for their big sister. While Lisanna chose to specialize in animal forms, Elfman had chosen beast forms.

As Sol mentioned, he was never able to use a full-take over. Lisanna on the other hand, had taken to the magic remarkably well and she could use her transformations with ease. He would never resent his sisters for their prowess but it had always made him feel like he was slowing them down. It didn't help that there were many who mocked him for his inability to control his magic over time.

That was actually how he came to be friends with Riku. The brunet had been among the first of the Fairy Tail members they came to know to simply be supportive. It was a surprise as Riku used to keep to himself a lot these days but Elfman really appreciated the effort. It showed everyone that there was a lot more to him than meets the eye.

Riku not only understood but sympathized with Elfman's plight, calmly assuring him time and again that there was nothing to be ashamed of so long as he was trying. Plenty of the people who mocked him only did it to feel about better themselves, they hardly did much better to improve after all. The fact that Elfman was working to get past this inability and learn what he could should be good enough for anybody.

It wasn't until Elfman saw the curse take hold of Riku the first time that he saw just why Riku knew how he felt. But he wouldn't think any less of him for it. If anything, the sight had elevated his respect of the dragon slayer, knowing how he struggled to keep that power back. The situation had also earned Riku his fair share of taunting but the brunet was undaunted. Hell, Riku chose to use a seal that restricted his magical core to help. At least Elfman had a choice in learning Take-over magic, Acnologia didn't even give Riku that much.

Riku's enduring determination about all this had been one of the reasons they started training together, he had always admired the brunet's strong spirit. Such support had truly helped him, but Elfman knew within himself that he was not nearly so stalwart. For the reminders of that horrible day still shook him to the core, and Sol clearly realized that.

''And someone like you pretends to be a man? Frankly, it's insulting for men everywhere. I pity your sisters, they must've had to do most of the work for years. What a shame for a mage of the famed Demon's caliber to lose all her prowess because of 're just an oaf who gets by blustering his way through life.'' Sol stated.

Elfman ground his teeth ''Oh, yeah? How's this for bluster?'' He tried to punch the man again but Sol jumped up and wrapped himself around Elfman's arm, forcing him to stop. He tried to pry Sol off with his other arm but to no avail.

The teen tried to attack again when Sol jumped back, barely noticing him casting a spell then. However, he found himself freezing in his tracks moments later, for Sol was forming a figure of someone very familiar to him out of sand.

It was of a teenage girl who looked a lot like Mira but with shorter hair. This was in fact...

''L-Lisanna...'' He stuttered, shocked.

''I did mention looking at your memories earlier.'' Sol reminded. ''This is your precious little sister, yes? I'd love to understand how you dare boast of being so manly when you're the one who killed her.''

''Elf-niichan.'' The statue called. Elfman held back a wince at the familiar voice. Even if it sounded monotone, it still reminded him of his little sister.

Sol had been correct once again. The day he tried to take over the beast and failed was undoubtedly the worst in his and Mira's lives. Lisanna had tried to stop him, hoping to talk sense into him but the berserk Elfman had struck her down. It was something he deeply regretted and hated himself for.

Before he quite knew it, Sol had conjured multiple duplicates of the statue, leaving him to fall to his knees. He knew it was a fake but still...she looked and sounded just like she had the day they took that fateful job. How could he face this after what he had done?

Sol stared him down ''This is why I refuse to accept your claims of being a man. You're nothing but lowlife trash that killed his own little sister.''

Elfman lowered his head, feeling the old guilt and shame well up again. But that made him miss what his opponent was doing.

''Platre Sonata!''

Sol formed a fist of plaster that punched Elfman through a wall. It was moments later than he saw something that threw him for a loop.

''Nee-chan? Riku?!''

The two in question appeared just as surprised to see him there. Earlier, as they continued defending the guild, a number of shades and stone statues appeared before Mira with Riku intervening to save her. But then the sand suddenly spun out of control and blinded them. Before either knew it, they found themselves at the base. Just as they were going about, a number of plaster statues attacked them, leaving Riku to fend them off.

Sol walked over at a sedate pace ''Master Jose helped me bring them here. Well, my original target was your sister but I suppose he decided to get in the way.''

Elfman scowled ''What're you playing at?''

''Well, we are going to take your guild down. Our master decreed as much-you apparently care for your sisters so much that I wondered what you would do if she were here.'' Sol stated.

''Where the hell do you get off, trying to be a man when all you do is some dirty tricks?'' The take-over mage demanded.

''I wouldn't expect a brute like you to understand the concept of strategy.'' Sol gave a haugty sniff.

Elfman's eyes narrowed as he stared back in disgust. In his opinion, there was a big difference between strategy and what Sol was pulling off but he wouldn't waste time arguing with the man. He hadn't missed the scattered pieces of rocks surrounding his friend and sister, so he knew Sol must have gone after them too.

''Now...you'll see your older sister and even your friend die just like your sister had.'' Sol snapped his fingers. The area around Riku and Mira suddenly shifted and it quickly formed a pair of hands that grabbed the two and lifted them into the air.

''Let them go!'' Elfman snapped.

But he had no reason to worry as Riku quickly opened a gate that took him out of the trap's grasp. In seconds, he destroyed the hand holding Mira before lowering her down safely, to Elfman's relief.

Riku looked at him and smiled 'We'll be okay, just focus on him. I'll protect Mira.'

Elfman nodded back, feeling gratitude well up towards his old friend. Neither were surprised when Sol conjured more constructs of sand and plaster to attack the two but Riku was ready and stood firmly in front of Mira, making sure none could get at her.

He conjured a wave of darkness through his sword and waved it in a semi-circle, unleashing a crescent shaped blast that destroyed a number of statues. He destroyed the pile of rubble some statues threw his way with a Dark Dragon's Roar.

Both combatants reacted in opposing means to his successful attacks. Sol scowled and grit his teeth while Elfman was relieved. He knew he could count on Riku.

Mira spared Riku a grateful smile, he was as reliable as always. She still remembered how badly things went between them when they first met. She had known he was Erza's friend and given their terrible relationship, she had been less than kind to him.

Things began to change when she learned how he helped Elfman. Learning that he also had trouble with his magic control and still strove to improve had made an impact with her brother. Riku had made such a positive influence on Elfman that she decided it encourage it and they along with Belle and Lisanna, became good friends.

''This means nothing!'' Sol spat. ''You have no time to worry about others, Platre Sonata!''

Elfman transformed his arm once again and tried to keep pushing forward but the barrage of rocks soon forced him back.

Sol gave a smug look ''As a gentleman, I consider your interpretation of manliness unforgivable. I will grant eternal suffering and you shall become one with the land, now. Merci La Vie!''

Elfman was surrounded by a spell circle which glowed, the next thing they knew, he was being turned to stone!

''No!'' Mira gasped while Riku's eyes widened.

Riku tried to think of a way to help but he had nothing. He had never encountered such magic. Mira ran over with him in tow, wondering how to stop this.

''Don't waste your time. This is the end.'' Sol smirked. ''It serves such a worthless weakling right.''

Riku glared back, determined to prove him wrong. The one way he could see through this was forcing Sol to release the magic.

''Oh, you think you can take me on, Bahamut?'' The earth mage sneered, Riku raised his sword in response.

Mira glanced at her brother worriedly, what she couldn't understand was why was Elfman simply frozen like this.

Little did the two realize that Merci La Vie had another effect. It was making Elfman watch a few old memories, ones he shared with Lisanna.

The first had been of his parakeet's death, he was crying at its grave when Lisanna came to comfort him. She reminded him that things die but if he remembers them, they would live in his heart forever. Looking back, he knew she was right but at the time, he simply rejected her attempt to comfort and pushed her away, making her cry.

The second memory had been when they went to help Mira in the S-class request that lead to Lisanna's death. They were just saying goodbye to Natsu and Happy. The two actually wanted to come along but he and Mira turned them down out of some meaningless pride. How he wished this had gone differently...

The third was undoubtedly the worst. It was just after he lost control and the beast took him over. Lisanna had tried, despite Mira's warnings to talk some sense into him. She absolutely refused to believe that he had forgotten about them. But her attempts failed and Elfman struck her with so much force.

The fourth memory was almost as bad. He and Mira were at Lisanna's grave. He had been blaming himself but Mira wouldn't hear it. Reminding him of Lisanna's words, she pointed out that they have to live for her.

Caught up as he was in those memories, Elfman could hear a far away familiar voice calling out to him. It was Mira.

Now almost halfway turned to stone, Elfman almost came back to his sense, noticing his sister on her knees nearby watching him tearfully.

That was what did it.

''I swore I'd never see Nee-chan's tears again.'' He uttered. ''Who made her cry?!''

Elfman took a step forward, breaking free of the spell, to Sol's shock. ''Lisanna died because of my weakness, I don't want to feel that way ever again. I'm going to be a man who can protect my sister!''

Just then, he was surrounded by light. Riku started while Mira's eyes widened, recognizing the feel of that power. It showed her exactly what her brother was up to ''Elfman, don't!''

Before Riku could ask, the light shone, forcing them to look away. When they turned back, it was to find that Elfman had done it. He was now clad in a Full Body Take Over. This was his Beast Soul.

Sol recoiled, panic clear in his expression as Elfman roared. He had no time to react for the teen had immediately punched him hard, sending him into a wall.

''N-now, hold on...'' He managed. ''...I was trying to help, see. You've done it, you've overcome the trial I gave to face your past head on. You are indeed a true man!''

Naturally, no one bought that for a second and Elfman proceeded to pummel him into the ground. Sol tried to cast a spell but he simply had no time as Elfman continued his attacks until he was out cold.

Mira and Riku watched as he turned around to face them, slowly walking over. ''Elfman...'' The first started, had he really done it? Was he in control?

Riku watched in concern, hoping that he had indeed pulled it off.

''...I'm sorry, Nee-chan.'' The two started at the familiar voice and Elfman continued. ''You probably never wanted to see this form again. I wanted to protect you and Fairy Tail but I messed it up bad the first time and because of that...Lisanna...''

Mira smiled as she walked over, wrapping her arms around him as he canceled the spell. ''I told you before, it wasn't your fault. Lisanna's still with us, we're living on for her sake too, remember?''

Elfman's eyes watered ''...Yeah...''

Riku watched with a growing smile, happy for his friend. He knew how much Elfman wanted this and it had happened at last. Mira was right. The last thing Lisanna would want is for him to keep blaming himself.

''Riku...thanks, I really owe you.'' Elfman said after a few moments.

'What're friends for? But while we're at it, I really feel the need to point out one thing. I told you you could do it. More times than I care to count.' The brunet smirked.

That got a laugh from both Strauss siblings, both feeling much better now. Elfman grinned ''Yeah, fair enough. Now like I said before, if I pull this off it won't be too long for you to do the same.''

Mira was about to voice her agreement but then Riku stiffened and stumbled, leaning against a wall. Elfman looked alarmed ''What happened?!''

''The seal, remember?'' His sister pointed out, making his eyes widen in understanding.

That was a side effect of the only way they had to deal with Riku's magic if it went out of control. There was a seal on his magical core that helped him regulate his power, it had two levels. The second level was activated in emergencies as it restricted his magical core's functions but they all knew that it was immensely painful. He could imagine just how drained Riku must be after all he did since the seal's activation.

Elfman steadied the brunet ''Can you make a portal to get you and Nee-chan of you out there?''

Riku shook his head tiredly 'At this point, I can only use it at a limited range. With the way things are down there, I don't know where we'd land. I'm not even sure if I can make it that far now.'

That made sense, they were talking about landing straight in a battlefield. Besides, there was the big issue of all those shades still remaining...

'It's okay, I can handle it. Just give me a few...' Riku was distracted by a flash of light that made him look up, noticing the Giant Mage was slowing down with Abyss Break's seal. '...does that mean...?'

''Yeah, two of the Element 4 were defeated so it must have really slowed down the spell.'' Mira concluded.

Elfman perked up ''Music to my ears! Let's keep going, make sure you both stay close. I won't let Phantom hurt you.''

Mira nodded back, taking Riku's arm, she led him along and followed her brother. Things may have been bad but they were certainly looking up, the tide was turning in their favor.

* * *

Gray wound up in a different area and the first odd thing he noted was that it was raining. He had been rather puzzled to note that it was only raining around a certain area. However, this quickly brought the source of the phenomenon to his attention.

It was the third member of the Element 4, Juvia of the Rain.

He had no idea how she was causing this rain but it proved she was powerful. If she could easily affect the weather without even breaking a sweat than she was certainly not to be underestimated.

But then, just as he was bracing himself for a fight...

''Huh?! What do you mean?!'' Gray spluttered a moment later, for Juvia had suddenly turned around to leave, merely stating that she couldn't fight. Was she seriously conceding like that? This had to be some kind of trick, right?

But apparently, it wasn't. For some reason, she really seemed to have lost the will to fight. What was even stranger was that Gray could have sworn that even Juvia seemed to be puzzled by her own actions.

And she really was. She had no idea why seeing the Fairy Tail mage shook her up like that but her first instinct had been to walk away. Even now, her heart was thumping wildly. What was going on?

''Hey, I don't know what your deal is but if you don't want to fight, fine. Just stop the Giant Mage!'' Gray cried.

But Juvia was barely listening, lost in her thoughts as she was. After thinking it over, Juvia knew what the feeling that almost rooted her to the spot was. It was why she could hardly take her eyes off him.

Love. Love at first sight.

He was so handsome...just looking at him now took her breath away. She doubted that she could fight him now.

After thinking it over, she decided to make Gray hers and so trapped him with her Water Lock, with the big sphere of water suspending him in mid-air. However, this wound up being a choice she regretted as it opened up his old wounds from Galuna Island. Just as she was about to release him, Gray froze the spell, easily breaking out of it.

This was a shock to Juvia, who believed that her Water Lock could not be broken. _'Amazing!' _She thought. _'This must be fate, Juvia has finally found her prince!'_

Gray remained focused on the fight, having believed that Juvia had simply decided to battle after all. He took off his shirt, leaving his opponent stunned.

''Ice Make: Lance!''

Then came the second surprise of the battle, his projectiles appeared to hit Juvia but it was as if they went through her.

''What...?!''

''It's not use, Juvia's body is made of water.'' She stated, her body reforming at once. ''But if you insist on battling...Water Slicer!''

With a wave of her hand, she sent out numerous sharp blasts of water. Gray quickly dodged and quickly continued to fight back. They had soon reached a stalemate. Gray was able to dodge or fend off the worst of Juvia's moves with the help of his magic but at the same time, Juvia's water body repelled his attacks with ease.

Realizing this, Juvia came to a decision ''...Maybe don't have to keep doing this.''

Gray arched an eye ''What do you mean?''

''If you'd just hand over Lucy Heartfilia, Juvia promises to speak to Master Jose and stop all this.'' She offered. ''You want to protect your guild, right? It would all work out.''

Gray couldn't help but note that she seemed sincere, which was odd. Why would she care? After all they had seen from Phantom Lord, this was rather disconcerting.

Anyway, he already knew his answer.

''Not happening.'' The ice mage stated firmly. ''Lucy's one of us, a member of our family. None of us would agree to just hand her over. We've decided to fight till the end and that's what we'll do. There's no way I'll turn my back on Lucy, I won't hand her over even I die..''

Juvia froze at this statement, feeling her heart clench. Her thoughts were spiraling at a mad pace as those words sank in. He was speaking as if he was in love with Lucy Heartfilia. It couldn't be...was her prince taken from her by the Celestial Mage?

Juvia's temper rose to incredible heights ''No, no-it can't be! Juvia won't forgive this! Lucy Heartfilia cannot be allowed to live!''

Gray's eyes widened at her sudden shift in attitude but he didn't bother questioning it, seeing her already attacking.

Juvia unleashed a torrent of water which Gray tried to dodge but was forced to take on, only to yelp in pain when he realized it was boiling water. Thinking fast, he used Ice Make: Shield only for the water to melt it in seconds, to Gray's surprise. The Phantom Mage sure was fighting very differently now, it was as if her magic was reacting to her emotions.

Why was she so mad at Lucy, though?

''Juvia cannot be defeated in the rain!'' She declared confidently, watching as he attempted to escape another torrent of water. But Juvia was soon able to overwhelm him, engulfing him in the hot water.

Her eyes narrowed as he was suspended in mid-air ''This is the end!'' She shot boiling water towards him.

Gray grit his teeth, knowing there was only one thing he could do now.

He jumped into the boiling water and froze it, which also wound up freezing Juvia. Letting out a breath, Gray realized he could feel something soft under his hand, which didn't make sense. He was holding some ice and...

His thoughts came to a screeching halt as he realized that was wrong, somehow he wound up holding Juvia's breast!

The ice mage yelped, jumping back in surprise after he released her from the ice ''S-sorry about that!''

Juvia was also embarrassed ''You are...kind. Juvia thought so...Juvia was forcing herself but she really cannot fight you, Juvia's heart just isn't it.''

''Oh yeah?'' Gray clearly had no idea what to make of this. ''So you're throwing in the towel? Why?''

This was it. Juvia's heart thumped, she would confess that she had fallen in love with him. ''The truth is...''

Gray's brow furrowed as he looked at the rainy sky, mumbling ''...Man, it sure is gloomy. Wish the rain would stop...''

Juvia's eyes widened at this, the words bringing back some rather painful memories. She had been alone for so long-her prowess and potential with magic had earned her few friends. If anything, people had always looked at her as if she was a freak. Even as a child.

It had always been that way. She couldn't even have a relationship, the whole issue surrounding her magic had even drove her ex-boyfriend away.

Now, this coming from the one she had fallen for hurt. A lot.

''You...you're just like them!'' Juvia cried. ''Just like those people who had been horrible to Juvia. Juvia sees that she was wrong now, Juvia is a Phantom Mage. Phantom Lord accepted Juvia for who she was, so Juvia will fight for her guild! Sierra!''

She transformed herself into boiling water and dove at Gray, who braced himself.

''Yeah? Well, I won't lose.'' He released a great burst of power which froze the attack and even the rain. ''Ice Make: Geyser!''

The spell caught Juvia off guard, trapping her within seconds. This almost lead to her falling off the guild, believing that she would die. Just as she had resigned herself to death, she felt a hand grab hers.

Juvia's eyes widened as she saw that Gray was pulling her up. Why would he...?

''Looks like you cooled off.'' Gray remarked as she lay down. She may be an enemy but it didn't mean he would let her die if he could help it.

Juvia's attention was centered above them, for it was the first time she saw a clear sky. ''So...beautiful...Juvia has never seen a clear sky or the sun before.''

''For real?'' Gray blinked, thinking she had to be kidding. But seeing how she was sobbing now proved how much it meant to her. ''...Well, it's really something, huh?''

''Yes...thank you...'' Juvia whispered, meaning it with all her heart.

The ice mage's lips twitched as he began walking away, he wasn't sure what was going on but she sure seemed happy. It was strange to find something that he had taken for granted like this being such a marvel for others. The more he looked at it, the more different Juvia seemed from the rest of Phantom Lord.

Well if Master was right...his eyes narrowed a bit as he noted how Abyss Break was slowed down even more. He allowed himself a smirk; good, there was only one of the Element 4 left.

* * *

Around the same time...

Natsu and Happy arrived at a hall where they encountered Aria and a fight quickly ensued. With the latter's abilities, he was quickly able to turn the battle in his favor as Natsu just couldn't nail a hit on him with that teleportation ability.

Aria had been about to ambush the dragon slayer, only for him to be saved by Erza's timely arrival. Her kick sent Aria crashing down hard.

Happy perked up ''Erza!''

She spared him a small smile before glaring at Aria as he got up ''You two go on ahead. Master's planning on dealing with Jose. And while I pity any opposition in his path, it wouldn't hurt to have someone keeping an eye out for him.''

''Gotcha!'' Natsu returned. While he didn't like running from a fight, he knew she was right to concerned. Riku's presence had been the only reason Makarov hadn't fallen for Jose and Aria's trap in their last battle. It was to imagine that the man would try something else. He knew that Erza could more than handle this fool anyway.

Aria had been about to strike the two when he found a sword flung in his path, making him turn to Erza.

''Where exactly are you looking? Your battle is with me now.''

''Hmph, very well. It's sad that you're going to be defeated her.'' He remarked. ''I can't afford to hold back for an opponent of your caliber, Titania so...'' Aria removed his blindfold, revealing his eyes. ''...you will feel the might of my trump card. Zero, the air space of death that has claimed many lives over the years.''

Erza scowled ''How could you take lives so casually, you scoundrel? I will make sure you pay.'' She donned her Heaven's Wheel Armor.

In moments, Aria had his spell ready, making him feel confident ''Can you survive, Titania Erza? Take this!''

But Erza was able to move within the air space easily, slicing through it in seconds. Aria recoiled in shock, his pink eyes meeting Erza's brown ones as she glared up at him ''My turn, Blumenblatt!''

Aria cried out as the powerful attack sent him flying before he hit the ground, leaving him down and out. Erza looked at him with clear disdain ''I would never lose to someone like you.''

* * *

Makarov began to grin as he realized that the Giant Mage had stopped casting Abyss Break. His brats had done it. He knew they could all along.

Now he had to be sure to do his part. Phantom assault had infuriated him but he held back for the sake of keeping peace, to avoid bringing any trouble to Fairy Tail. But no more.

Jose Porla would not get away with this, he would make sure of that.

* * *

_Well, let's stop here. _

_The next chapter starts right after this point. I thought I could use Elfman's fight to show his bond with his sisters and Riku so I think it all pans out. I should be able to wrap up the fights next chapter, I think, I just didn't want to make the chapter too long. _

_Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. Till next time!_


	12. Chapter 12

Elfman punched a couple of Phantom grunts away, making sure to shield Mira and Riku. He had thought of finding a safe place to hide the two but that wasn't likely to work here. Just after Jose revealed the Mark 2 golem, they had seen something change with the shade soilders flying nearby. Riku, who was a good sensor, had warned them that they were stronger than ever. Since Jose was the one creating the beings, they knew it meant he had powered them up. Forget capturing Lucy like he proclaimed, Jose seemed hell bent on taking Fairy Tail down.

Elfman kept a sharp eye out on their surroundings, determined to protect his sister and friend. Mira couldn't fight now and despite how he was trying to hide it, Riku was in bad shape. That was thanks in a good part to the curse and the consequent activation of the seal. He remembered how the curse used to leave the brunet sick years ago and he doubted it was any less unpleasant now. The less that was said about the seal, the better. Just applying it on Riku to begin with knocked the dragon slayer out for days. Elfman really thought it said something about their friend's will power that he was still going on even now.

Unbeknownst to him, Mira was thinking along similar lines. Once again, she wished she hadn't lost the ability to use her magic. She felt so powerless, Elfman and Riku had been defending her all this time. More than anything, she wanted to do something to help her guild. Even if the Element 4 were beaten, the battle was clearly far from over and their biggest threats at the moment were Gajeel and of course, Jose himself.

As they would soon learn, the two Phantom mages had been busy...

* * *

While the group who stormed the Giant Mage were forced to deal with the present enemies, Gajeel had ambushed the Fairy Tail mages fighting the Shade Soilders. Since the beings were commanded to attack Fairy Tail, he was safe from their debilitating effects, allowing him the chance to go freely.

He had been almost to grab Lucy then, only to be impeded by Erik and Belle's timely intervention. The two had combined their magic to force him back, allowing Cubelios the chance to slam the surprised dragon slayer to the ground.

''Che...'' Gajeel grunted, pulling himself up. He quickly noted how Taurus stood protectively in front of Lucy while Cubelios joined him, Erik and Belle heading up the group. ''...not bad, Cobra.'' To Belle, he added. ''Come to think of it, you were with Bahamut when you lot attacked us before. So where's he at? He might actually give you a bit of a chance against me. This bunch here ain't promising.''

Belle merely glared back, bracing herself for battle. Erik tensed, as much as he hated to admit it, Gajeel was on to something. His poison element wouldn't do much against Gajeel, who could easily defend himself with his magic. Belle was getting tired, even if she wasn't showing it who knew how long the cat could hold on. He wasn't sure Taurus could help them here...

Still, they couldn't-they _wouldn't_ back down now.

''Let's get this over with then.'' Gajeel transformed his arm into a sword and struck then.

Belle reacted fast, leveling two of her staves ''Two layered magic circle: Gravity Drive!''

Gajeel had no time to react, he was almost slammed down by an intense field of force that made splutter in surprise. A second later, he was blasted by Erik's Poison Dragon's Roar, which pushed him a little back. Taurus followed up on the assault, jumping to thrust his axe then.

The attack landed, but something seemed strange. Gajeel wasn't fazed at all, even pushing Taurus back. Lucy frowned, Taurus was practically her strongest physical oriented spirit and yet the latter tossed him aside with ease. ''How is he doing that?''

Erik scowled ''Look closer.''

She did so, noticing that Gajeel's arms were covered in silver scales. ''He's an iron dragon slayer, that power lets him use the element for attack and defense.''

''Got that right!'' The latter smirked, rearing his fist back to strike. He was forced to change targets as Cubelios flew in to attack then and it quickly became clear that he could easily defend against her poison too when the scales covered all his body. He kicked the snake away ''See? All this poison crap's useless against me! Might as well do yourselves and hand over the Heartfilia chick right now.''

''No way!'' Belle said at once, leveling one of her paws towards him. ''Glorious Burst!''

Small spheres appeared around Gajeel, they soon imploded, surrounding him in rapid burst of light. He tried to defend himself, closing his eyes until he felt the spell end.

''...Not bad, little puffball. This might actually be a little fun.'' He smirked.

* * *

Gray, who had overheard some Phantom mages talking about Gajeel's plans, had hurried to find his friends and warn them. The news spurred Natsu to move and in no time, he and Happy had flew off to find the iron dragon slayer. This left Gray, Makarov and Erza to deal with the enemy mages and make sure they don't get in the duo's way.

Mira watched as Riku used his sword to restore some of his power. Since the blade was imbued with a lacrima that generated darkness magic, he found that this was a very handy function over the time he had the blade.

''Better now?'' Elfman inquired, receiving a nod. ''Good, come on, let's move.''

* * *

The battle between Gajeel, Belle, Erik, Cubelios and Taurus was going down fast. It quickly became clear that Belle was the only one able to use attacks that actually fazed the dragon slayer. He had been able to injure Taurus enough to force him back to the spirit world. Lucy quickly summoned Sagittarius to help but the archer had little luck making a difference.

The blonde wished she could do anything to help. Belle was strong but she was obviously tiring, they couldn't expect her to deal with this on her own. Many of their friends were too far off and they had their hands full with the Shades.

She couldn't take this anymore. As much as she didn't want to do it, the celestial mage figured that maybe if she handed herself over, Gajeel would leave and her friends wouldn't have to fight anymore.

She wasn't worth this...

''Don't even think about it.'' A voice cut in her thoughts, making her start and look at Erik. ''I thought we made this clear-no one's going to consent to that outcome. Jose's been a right jackass for years-you just happened to be the excuse he needed to kick start this war.''

If the situation had been any less dire, Lucy might have taken a moment to wonder how he seemed to read her mind. Belle had no way of knowing what Lucy had been thinking before but Erik's words clued her in ''Lucy, you can't give up to those jerks! Look what Jose's doing now, there's no way he's going to back out. He obviously wants to destroy the guild. You're one of us, neither they or your dad can change that. In case you didn't get the message, Fairy Tail never turns its back on one of their own.''

''You guys...'' Lucy breathed, there was no words to describe how much their enduring support meant to her.

''Ain't that sweet?'' Gajeel drawled, making the three look at him as he pushed another of Sagittarius' attacks away. ''It's all meaningless if you don't have the power to do something about this though. Puffball over there is probably right though. Master's not gonna be satisfied til Fairy Tail's history. He's never liked your guild to begin with.''

Belle prepared another spell, she knew her reserves were running low but there had to be something she could do here...

In her weakened state, it took longer than she would've liked to gather the power, leaving Gajeel the room to strike the five of them with Iron Dragon's Roar.

Smirking, Gajeel stepped closer ''Now then...''

Suddenly, something flashed in the distance-the next thing anyone knew, he was struck by a powerful blast of lightning.

Gajeel growled as he tried to pull himself, cringing ''The hell...?!''

The source of the blast made himself known in moments, standing before the group. Belle smiled widely ''Laxus!''

The blond cracked a smirk as he looked back ''Yo, looks like we've got good timing.''

Lucy blinked ''So then...''

She saw a couple of shadows pass above them, prompting her to look up. It was Freed and Evergreen, flying up above a big group of shades.

''Fairy Bomb: Leprechaun!''

''Dark Ecriture: Umbral Laser!''

Evergreen's multitude of blasts rained down on the enemies, taking them out with ease. Similarly, Freed created runes which conjured a purple laser that took out all the shades it struck.

Three familiar puppets rose in the air, circling around each other as they released beams that decimated all the enemies they struck. They landed just above the newly arrived Bickslow, who was defending more of their comrades.

''Now that's some really good timing...'' Erik trailed off, relieved.

Gajeel began to grin ''And here I thought you'd never show up, Laxus Dreyar...''

The blond glared back ''Your master just happens to know the most underhanded tricks since my deadbeat old man. And that's really saying something.'' His gaze sharpened as lightning gathered around his fist. ''Wipe that stupid look off your face, we're about to finish what our family started and make sure you bastards pay for this.''

''Big words-bring it!'' Gajeel taunted.

* * *

Just like when Riku opening up a path to Phantom's base, Laxus and the Raijinshuu's arrival made for another turning point in the battle. The tide had definitely turned in Fairy Tail's favor. The four more that proved their prowess. Freed created a rune that served to shield some of their weary comrades while Evergreen and Bickslow shielded, keeping any Shades away. Evergreen's magic had quite a wide range, keeping a good number of the Shades at bay. Bickslow had his puppets attack in various formations to assist her. When enemies came in from the Giant Mage again, they wound up landing in some of Freed's traps.

The trio worked together seamlessly, proving why they were among Fairy Tail's best teams.

Similarly, Laxus proved that he was more than a match for Gajeel. While the latter's magic had been a big boon to him in the first battle, facing Laxus made having iron dragon slayer magic into a quite a detriment.

He created spires of iron that surged at Laxus, but they were all destroyed by the blond's lightning magic. Laxus proceeded to use Lightning Dragon's Breakdown Fist then, Gajeel's eyes widened somewhat as he sensed the power in the move. He did the only thing he could think of, creating shields of iron to at least mitigate the strike, hoping he could get away. His plan partially worked as the shields took in some of the lightning but in the end, Laxus was able to slam him down hard.

He pulled himself, eyes narrowing in anger as Laxus stared him down. ''That all you got?''

''Not even close!'' Gajeel snarled. As if he would lose like this!

Just as it looked like their battle would continue, Natsu descended before the two with Happy. The two seemed similarly surprised at the sight of the lightning mage but Natsu took it in stride ''He's mine! This has been a long time coming!''

''...Fair enough.'' Laxus returned, knowing the teen referred to their first battle days ago. ''Got it covered then?''

''You bet-we're finishing this today.'' Natsu returned.

''Laxus, Master and the others are up on the base. It looks like they're going to face Jose soon.'' Happy informed, making him arch an eye in surprise.

''...In that case, I'll be heading over.'' Laxus decided after a moment. In a flash, he disappeared, they could see him move in a bolt of lightning towards the Giant Mage.

''You just want to get beat, don't ya, Salamander?'' Gajeel taunted.

''I just don't like leaving stuff unfinished. We've got a score to settle.''

His eyes narrowed ''...Yeah, it's about time we see which one of us comes out on top.''

* * *

Gray's group managed to get together with Riku and the others. It wasn't long before they headed towards Jose's whereabouts, determined to take him down. They were met with the remnant Phantom mages who had stuck around the area and a battle quickly got underway.

Makarov easily blasted who tried to attack him with light magic. Elfman surprised many enemies and friends by using his newly mastered Take-Over, defeating them in an instant. Riku stopped some elemental spells heading their way via a portal, blasting the attackers with Dark Dragon's Roar afterwards. Erza decimated her attackers with Circle Sword, making sure none of them would get anywhere near Mira.

The battle went on with such a pace and it became evident that the Phantom Lord group had no chance against this opposition. The few enemies who were left standing opted to run away to save their own skins.

''Hmph, I'd expect no less from scumbags like them.'' Erza stated.

''Damn, you've been busy.''

Surprised, the knight mage turned around to see Laxus making his way over. ''When did you...?''

Mira and Riku smiled to see him, making his lips twitch as he nodded back at them.

''Oh hey, so you made it outta the trap? That's great!'' Elfman exclaimed.

''It took longer than any of us expected but we're making up for it. The Raijinshuu are dealing with things well enough down there so I figured I'd see how you're doing.'' Laxus stated.

'Well, you've made it in time...All that's left here is...' Riku's brow furrowed as he glanced at the room up ahead.

Laxus crossed his arms as he caught on ''The big boss, huh?''

''Yeah...'' Makarov's eyes narrowed, he could sense the malevolent power gathering there. No doubt Jose knew they were here. ''...you ready, brats?''

Everyone replied affirmatively and Gray stepped up ''We're seeing this through to the end.''

''All right. Let's go.'' Makarov returned.

* * *

The battle between Natsu and Gajeel was going strong. Neither side was giving an inch and it was looking like both were evenly matched. The ferocity of their attacks caused shockwaves that spread far, showing their power.

Natsu's ire rose as he remembered his friends' state, also seeing how the guild hall was heavily damaged in the course of the battle. All because of Phantom...

They would not get away with this.

Gajeel transformed his arm into a sword, the blade start to spin as he jumped ''Eat this!''

He tried to strike his opponent, who jumped back. The former kept up the offense but Natsu kept dodging all his attacks with ease. Gajeel's eyes narrowed as he reactivated his iron scale ''Try this on for size, Iron Dragon's Hard Fist!''

Natsu tried to block the attack, only to be forced back. Still, he shakes it off and uses Fire Dragon's Wing Attack, which Gajeel dodges. The two's fists collide moments later and its evident that Gajeel has the advantage again. The latter keeps up the attacks but Natsu dodges the worst of it, striking with a flaming kick then.

''Fire Dragon's...

''Iron Dragon's..''

''Roar!'' The two called as they unleashed a blistering inferno surging forwards while a storm of iron shards that blew them away.

Gajeel smirked, seeing how battered Natsu was ''Dragon fire is said to burn everything to ash but it ain't enough to leave a mark on my iron body.''

Lucy bit her lip, realizing he may have a point. Natsu was fighting so hard but she wondered if that was making any difference...

The fire dragon slayer appeared unfazed, much to their confusion ''You sure about that?''

Just then, a cut appeared on Gajeel's face, making him stiffen. Natsu's eyes narrowed ''I'm just gettin' warmed up.''

* * *

Something strange happened the second they walked into Jose's room.

An intense light went off, blinding most of the group. Then a fast moving shadowy figure almost surrounded them, but it was gone in an instant.

Elfman blinked ''What was that?''

Makarov's eyes immediately centered on Jose, who was observing them with clear interest.

That was when Erza noticed the problem ''Where are Riku, Gray and Laxus?''

Makarov's eyes narrowed as Jose smirked ''What did you do?!''

The three in question seemed to have just vanished. Jose stood ''Your comrades were just the most unlucky so as to stumble into my little surprise...''

* * *

Gray blinked twice ''What...?''

It looked like they were in the same area but he couldn't see any of their friends here. Not counting Mira-who they had insisted stay away from the oncoming battle-it was as if the others had simply disappeared.

''...Where'd everyone go?''

It was so strange. The area looked exactly the same-but there was no sign of their friends, or even Jose.

What was going on here?

Before the three quite knew it, they felt a presence behind them. They looked back to see a Shade forming before their eyes...

* * *

The rest of their group was thrown for a loop when they saw their missing friends-facing what looked to be none other than Jose.

The Phantom Lord guildmaster seized the general confusion to trap Erza and Elfman with Shade Entangle, suspending them in mid-air. Makarov made to try and free them, only to be blasted by Dead Wave. The man swifty sends his two captives into a wall with Dark Pulse.

''You have much more important things to worry about than a pair of brats, Makarov.'' Jose purred.

The latter scowled ''I wouldn't expect you to understand.'' His fists shone with light magic...''You're gone to answer for all you've done today!''

* * *

Riku, Laxus and Gray found themselves face to face with a strange Shade that somehow transformed into an exact likeness of Jose. To say this threw them for a loop would be an understatement. Especially since they could see Jose and their comrades on the far left side of the area. It looked like they were close but also far away, as if an invisible wall seperated them from each other.

They didn't have much time to think on this development for the shade quickly attacked them. Since they could see Jose battling Makarov on the other side, they quickly realized that this doppelganger had similar abilities to Phantom Lord's guildmaster.

Riku tried to immobilize the being with runes but they found that for some reason, the shade seemed able to alter the area around it and so it made the runes useless. Gray created an ice shield to defend as the doppelganger made shades who merged to form a jelly-fish like ghost with multiple arms. It used many, massive fists to attack the three of them. Laxus destroyed a number of the arms with a blast of lightning and Riku used Abyss Claw to take down more. The wide ranged attack also struck the doppelganger. Using the chance this provided, Laxus threw a big spear of lightning to destroy the jellyfish shade.

That was when Gray noticed something ''...Guys, is it just me or does it look like Gramps is holding back?''

This brought the two dragon slayers' attention to Makarov. They couldn't hear what was going on but they could see everything just fine. Their guildmaster had freed Elfman and Erza from Jose's binds but it was looking as if Gray was right. Makarov was mostly on the defensive-they could see Jose was saying something and it seemed to shake the three of them up. Jose on the other hand was highly amused, he seemed to decide to keep up the attacks then.

Laxus' brow furrowed ''Yeah, he is. I've got a bad feeling about this...''

* * *

Around the same time...

''All right, talk! Just what is that about?'' Makarov demanded, gesturing at the area where the three Fairy Tail mages.

''I'm glad you asked.'' Jose purred. ''That one there is what I like to call a Phantasmal Shade. It's all a little set up I was able to come up with over time. I've set up an illusion of sorts maintained by the Shade, it was given abilities not too different from my own. Your brats are going to be trapped there unless I let them out or if they beat the Phantasmal Shade, which isn't likely.''

Elfman scowled ''You're wrong! Those three are Manly, they can definitely come out on top!''

Jose sneered ''We'll see about that. Oh and better be careful, who knows what would happen to them if you go wild now...''

The implication was clear as day to them. Erza scowled ''You coward!''

Makarov's fists tightened in anger, realizing the other guildmaster had the upper hand. He had never heard of these kind of spells before so he couldn't take any chances, not when it comes to the lives of his brats.

* * *

Natsu stiffened as one of Gajeel's stray attacks hit the guild hall. The building was already plenty damaged as it were during the course of the battle between the two guilds. Thus, the stray iron lances that ripped through a side of it were what marked the beginning of its collapse.

The Phantom Lord members cheered at the sight while the members of Fairy Tail could only watch, pained and greatly saddened to see the place many of them considered a second home fall apart.

Happy was in tears ''The guild hall...''

''No...'' Lucy started as Natsu let out a loud battle cry and jumped right back into battle against his adversary. Before anyone knew it, the two dragon slayers were engaged in a fist-fight in mid-air. Once they break off, the two pause to catch their breaths, clearly feeling the pressure.

Gajeel picked up a piece of metal from the remnants of the Giant Mage and ate it. With his strength somewhat replenished, he sent Natsu flying with Iron Dragon's Club, following it with an enhanced series of Iron Dragon's Hard Fists.

Lucy vaguely remembered her friends talking something about this before ''What he just did is like how Erik eats Cubelios' poison to restore his strength, right?'' Happy confirmed and she continued.

Belle frowned ''Can't we get him some fire...?''

Natsu kept up the fight but with this turnaround, Gajeel was currently stronger. They knew part of the problem was that Natsu was wornout, he had not only destroyed Jupiter but fought two of the Element 4. Lucy tried to think fast, there had to be a way to help him!

Her eyes fell on the Giant Mage, which was when a radical struck her. ''That thing was powered by some machines-Sagittarius, can you destroy it?''

The spirit inclined his head ''With pleasure, Lucy-san.''

Natsu didn't care if his opponent had gotten a boost in power. He would not lose here-he would not let the bastard get away with he had done. The guild hall was a precious place to them all, he would not forgive Gajeel for destroying it. He would definitely win today.

He paused in surprise as he felt something very warm nearby, quickly recognizing the feeling of fire. Natsu turned to the source, jumping over to devour the flames originating from the Giant Mage before Gajeel could stop him.

He let out a breath a moment later, smirking ''Thanks for the meal, Luce.'' The girl smiled. ''I'm all fired up.''

Gajeel scoffed ''Don't get cocky, Salamander. It just means you've gotten a boost just like me. Iron Dragon's Roar!''

Natsu blocked the technique with his bare hands, leaving the latter dumbfounded. ''You're going to regret laying your hands on Fairy Tail. You're going to pay for hurting my friends!'' A red spell circle appeared around him. ''Dragon Slayer Secret Technique...'' His fists were ignited with flames and he proceeded to unleash a barrage of punches on Gajeel. ''Crimson Lotus: Fire Dragon's Fist!''

Natsu let his fury motivate him into keeping the offense, each hit created an explosion which broke through Gajeel's iron scales. He stopped to charge one last punch before striking again, sending Gajeel flying until he crashed on the ground, down and out.

Happy smiled widely as he and Lucy hurried over, followed by a few of their friends ''You did it!''

''Heh, you had any doubts?'' Natsu grinned back. ''Ah, man...I actually wanted to wreck those bastards' base too but I can't really move.''

''I think Master and the others had that pretty well covered...'' Happy returned, thinking back to how damaged the building had been when they had left.

Lucy began to smile ''You really overdid it there...'' Her smile widened as Natsu grinned in return. ''...but you were pretty cool.''

* * *

The doppelganger blasted Gray, Laxus and Riku down with rapid burst of shade magic. It then created two ethereal tornadoes that surged towards the three Fairy Tail mages. It cast Shade Entangle then but since they knew what was coming, they managed to evade the spell. Not letting up, it unleashed Dead Wave then but Riku took his friends out of the way via a portal. He was also able to take advantage of the consequent Dark Pulse attack, eating it quickly.

Riku had to hold back a grimace as a wave of nausea spread over him. Sure, this may have restored some of his power but he was almost regretting the action. He had come across varieties of darkness magic but this one was disgusting. It sure fit with a twisted man like Jose.

The doppelganger kept up the offense, unleashing dark pillars which it tried to use to trap them but they destroyed those with ease.

Once the three were behind some pillars, Riku noted how the rest of their comrades were also held on the defensive 'We have to do something...'

''Yeah...'' Laxus didn't doubt for a second that Makarov could trounce Jose with ease. He was beginning to wonder if their predicament was related to whatever was holding his grandfather back.

Well, speculation wouldn't do them any good. It wasn't like they could get an answer out of the enemy.

The blond's eyes narrowed a bit ''...you notice something about that Shade?''

Gray blinked ''What?''

But Riku had a guess, it was something he'd realized just a few minutes ago '...Those attacks-they're following a pattern, right?'

Laxus smirked ''Exactly. It's predictable if you pay close attention-I think we can use that.''

Gray's lips twitched ''I see what you're getting at...''

The Phantasmal Shade seemed to have trouble locating them. This gave the three the chance to decide their next step.

In a minute, Gray charged out, quickly freezing the floor before. He slid down with expert ease towards their enemy, easily avoiding the oncoming Dark Pulse it used then.

Gray grinned, as expected...

''Ice Make: Lance!''

The Phantasmal Shade leaps back to avoid the oncoming assault but then it was forced down to the ground as Riku used the moment cast Gravity Drive. The enemy retaliated by attempting a Shade Entangle but Riku cloaked himself with a dark aura that negated the spell at once. This was Dark Dragon's Ethereal Shroud. Not only did it offer Riku protection from some spells but it also amplified his offensive power.

The shade used Dead Wave then. This was according to their expectations once again. Riku created a scythe-like weapon of pure darkness which he used to slice the attack in half. This was his Rending Strike. He struck with the scythe again, the resulting force blew their enemy back. Gray struck with Ice Make: Cold Excalibur afterwards, making sure to freeze the area around it to impede its movements.

The shade began to get up after a minute, magic already surging...

But they were ready.

Cloaked in lightning, Laxus raised his clenched fist and chanted ''Resounding through the air, the roar of thunder, plunge from the heavens and reap destruction! Raging Bolt!''

With that, he unleashed a huge bolt of lightning that struck the enemy in seconds. That served to wipe it out, then...the area around them seemed to crack...

* * *

Jose was about to unleash another attack when he felt something strange. It made him look to the left where the solid illusion was, only to freeze in shock when he could see the cracks forming all over. ''It can't be...''

The area shone, blinding them for a few moments. When they could see again, they found the three trapped mages safe and sound before their eyes.

Erza looked relieved ''You're all right!''

''Yeah, I knew they could do it!'' Elfman exclaimed.

''We're all done here.'' Laxus stated.

'Nothing to worry about, Master.' Riku added.

The man chuckled ''Right...good job, brats. Just leave this to me.''

Jose scowled ''Fine-don't think this make a difference. I will never lose to you! Fairy Tail grew so much since we've last faced off but it's just a pile of rubble now. You're through!''

''A guild isn't a physical being but the union of its members.'' Makarov countered. ''...My children, thank you for your hard work. You should all be proud to be members of Fairy Tail.''

Finally, the two Wizard Saints squared off. The sky rumbled and the land quaked as Makarov's Light Magic and Jose's Darkness Magic clash. The two created blasts of their respective elements to strike the other. Both hit but Jose casted Dead Wave and Makarov shielded himself efficiently.

Elfman looked shaken at the sheer power before their eyes. He was sure glad Erza made sure they could all get to a safe place ''W-whoa...so this is what it's like when Wizard Saints fight?''

''Your power is impressive. You've earned your title.'' Makarov remarked. ''So much potential...if only you'd used your abilities for good. You could have become a role model for the younger generation.''

''Are you preaching me?'' Jose demanded.

''It's the custom of Fairy Tail's justice system. I'll give you to the count of three to kneel.'' He declared, using his Giant magic to grow in size.

This left Jose to laugh ''Please, you really are pathetic!'' He ignored Makarov counting to two and a small light gathering in his hands ''We're of equal power-no, I'm stronger! I will never bow down to you and accept that you are my superior! _You _should be kneeling to _me!_''

Laxus scoffed, he had a very good idea of what Makarov was about to do ''As if. What an idiot.''

Riku's eyes widened as he noticed the light around Makarov. The sight bringing back a memory from a few months ago 'Laxus, is that...?'

''Yeah, this battle's already over.'' The blond declared with confidence.

''Fairy Tail should vanish from the face of the earth!'' Jose howled.

''...Three.'' Makarov clasped his hands together and a gigantic spell circle appeared in the sky.

A bright light scattered around the area, eliminating all the Shade Troopers at once. The Fairy Tail members on the other hand, remained untouched.

This was Fairy Law, one of Fairy Tail's three grand spells. It is a righteous light that slays all who the caster sees as enemies.

In moments, they saw Jose, kneeling on the ground. His expression was one of terror and he appeared emaciated, his hair even turned white. Makarov approached him ''Your brashness got the better of you-the Council will make sure you're punished. It's over.''

The guildmaster's defeat marked the end of the war between the two guilds-and Fairy Tail had triumphed.

* * *

_Well, let's stop here. _

_For a while, I really wasn't sure how to handle this chapter. In the end, I figured I changed stuff already before so why not try again? So I had Laxus and the Raijinshuu participate as well, given how much closer to everyone in the they are here in comparison to canon, I thought it was fitting. _

_Oh and to clarify, Riku saw Laxus use Fairy Law a while back. The illusion and the Phantasmal Shade was something set up in advance. It had abilities like Jose but not as much as power as he does. The next chapter will have the aftermath and all that comes with it before I can keep going on and prepare for the next arc. _

_Anywho, thanks for reading and I hope you keep it up. Till next time!_


	13. Chapter 13

After the war was over, the Magic Council learned of all what happened and so promptly arrested Jose. They also ensured that Phantom Lord was disbanded. All its members had apparently scattered shortly after the final battle. Lucy had even returned home and confronted her father, warning him to never come after Fairy Tail again or else, declaring herself to be not Lucky Lucy Heartfilia but Lucy of Fairy Tail.

Peace returned to Magnolia and Fairy Tail wasted no time to work at rebuilding their HQ...

Belle poked her head in Riku's room, perking up when she saw her partner sitting up on a chair ''Oh, you're up-Morning!''

Riku gave a small smile and waved in return. He still seemed weary, which didn't surprise her at all.

It was because of that awful cursed state. They still didn't know just what it meant but everyone in the guild agreed that it might as well be a curse. The trouble was, with Dragon Slayer magic being a Lost magic, they had very little information on it. Thus they didn't have much means to help Riku. The seal was the only way Makarov could find but even he didn't want to use it considering how painful it was. Hell, even applying the seal the first time knocked Riku out for days.

It had been Riku himself who insisted on using the old spell, making it clear that he would find a way do it regardless of any protest. While the decision had been upsetting, Belle knew just why he'd go that far.

Riku despised that curse more than anyone else. He hated that it would make him lose control and hurt others. The lengths it could make him take scared him to the core. He was prepared to do what it takes to ensure that wouldn't happen. It didn't help that there were those who ostracized him after they saw the curse take effect before. Riku seemed resigned to that but they all knew that how much it hurt him. It infuriated Belle that none of them understood how in the end, he was the one harmed most by the curse. At a point, her partner had even thought of leaving the guild but they wouldn't let it happen. Riku deserved far better than this and Belle was among those most determined to ensure he got it.

Belle had been so lost in thought that she didn't notice Riku leaving to get ready for the day, jumping a little when he came back. The teen blinked, giving her a puzzled look. ''Oh, ah-I was just thinking...'' Shaking herself, she added. ''Come on! Elfman left some food when he came by before, it's Mira's cooking so it's bound to be great!''

Riku looked amused but he wasn't about to argue with that. He vaguely remembered hearing Belle talk to someone earlier but hadn't known it was Elfman. Thinking back, he had been awfully tired around then...

Then again, he was used to this. The curse always left him drained accordingly depending on the situation. The fact that he had to keep fighting Phantom Lord back then most definitely made it worse. He had been lumbered with that horrible state ever since that incident back when he was seven and things didn't get easier since. Riku had almost died that day so he could hardly remember what happened-Erza and Erik had been present though and they told him plenty. He wouldn't blame them or any of his other friends if they didn't trust him after seeing it. But he had been wrong, despite some initial alarm and fear (which perfectly understandable) Fairy Tail had shown him the utmost support. They had always been there for him and it meant more than he could put in words. That was one of the main reasons why he tried to never shy away from it, to keep working until he could conquer that weakness...

Belle glanced back at her partner in concern, seeing his distant expression. She hated seeing him sad and he was always hard on himself when it came to the curse. None of them thought any less of him for it.

Sure, she really had been scared the first day she saw it. She really hadn't known what to do at the time. Things had been terrible and Riku was only pushed so badly because he kept going to help her and the others. Belle knew he wouldn't want to hurt them. At the time, the sight had frightened her but she found that wasn't scared of Riku, no way. She refused to treat him differently after all he had done for her.

Belle remembered how they met, over four years ago...

* * *

_She had been flying when a storm struck her route. The cat quickly tried to find shelter but she must have been flying for a while because she had been rather tired. She had collapsed and had almost been hit by a falling tree had she not been able to roll away in time. _

_As her vision faded, Belle was certain she was about to die. But the next thing she knew, she woke up in a cave..._

_''Oh, you're awake?''_

_Startled, she looked up to see a boy watching her. She jumped, alarmed at his proximity. But she swayed and almost fell moments later but then he caught her. _

_''Hey, take it easy!'' He chided. ''You were pretty worn out as it were, that storm definitely wasn't doing you favors.''_

_It was then that she realized that he had wrapped up his jacket around her. She did remember feeling awfully cold before she blacked out...had he been taking care of her?_

_She hadn't even realized she had almost fallen again out of sheer exhaustion and hunger until she felt the boy's hand on her back._

_''See, what'd I tell you?'' He shook his head, settling her back down before looking for something in his bag, finally taking out some bread, fruit and a water container. ''You'd probably be hungry about now...''_

_Belle hadn't even realized she had confirmed as much until the boy looked at her in surprise ''You can talk?'' He eyed her curiously. ''Wonder if you're like Happy...what're the chances?''_

_''W-who...?'' She managed. _

_The boy picked her up ''I'm Riku. Just hold on, I'll help you.''_

_And he really had, he had done that and so much more..._

_She was too tired to really even eat but he had patiently helped her until she fell asleep. He had taken her back with him to Magnolia with him, making sure to get her to a doctor. It had taken time for her to fully recover but he had done his best to help and things only looked up from there._

_For a while, she didn't feel safe without him. She always wanted him to stay with her. Despite being somewhat exasperated with her back then, Riku still tried his best to care for her. He'd been the one to give her this name. It was thanks to him that she met the family and friends she had now-that she had a second chance at life..._

* * *

Looking back, Belle felt a bit embarrassed by the way she clung to him but Happy assured her that it was normal. He hadn't been too different around Natsu, so perhaps it could be usual for cats like them. It was hard to be sure as they had yet to meet any other similar felines after all...

Belle's thoughts were cut off when Riku lightly tapped her forehead, making her blink 'Your tea's going to get cold.'

''Oh yeah...'' She took a gulp of the beverage in front of her, having forgotten it was even there.

'Any reason you're spacing out so much today?'

''Just thinking...'' Belle quickly shook herself. ''...are you sure about going to help at the guild? You're still not recovered yet.''

'I'll be fine. I think I've rested enough so there's no harm.' Riku returned.

''Well, okay. But don't overdo it.''

He half-smiled, patting her head as he stood 'I know. It'll be okay.'

* * *

The first thing they saw upon arriving was Natsu and Gray being flung to the ground when they were hit by a timber.

''Ah, what...?'' Belle blinked, looking back to see that Erza was carrying the wood. She didn't even seem to realize what happened as she merely kept walking, focused on something up ahead.

Jet came running with a piece of timber in hand. He paused as he saw them ''Oh hey, you two-'' He glanced at Natsu and Gray. ''-ignore them, they were just going at each other's throats again. None of us really found out why. Erza just spared us a spare big headache.''

''...Can't argue with that...'' She said at last.

'Any idea what we can do to help, Jet?' Riku inquired.

''Sure, come on!''

* * *

Lucy's mouth fell ''Get out-Elfman used to be shy and withdrawn?''

Levy looked amused while Cana snickered as she answered ''Hard to believe, right? He was a real crybaby. The whole issue with his Takeover magic definitely made things worse, considering it made him a bigger target for some of the jerks around here. He says it actually has to do with how he became friends with Riku.''

''Oh yeah? What happened?'' The celestial mage glanced at the two teens in question. They were too far off to really hear what they were saying but Elfman seemed to be in the middle of an enthusiastic speech while Riku listened with an amused look.

''I only saw part of it but looking back, it was actually kind of funny...'' Levy thought back.

* * *

_Levy's eyes narrowed in annoyance when she heard a couple of the bullies in town mocking Elfman again. Where did they even get off? _

_''Aw, look he's crying!''_

_''He's probably gonna run to his sisters again! At least they can fight!''_

_The Solid Script mage was all set to help her friend but then a new voice spoke up ''You guys sure like to run your mouths.''_

_Everyone looked back in surprise to see Riku watching the scene with a distinctly unimpressed look. _

_''What was that, you little runt?'' One of the two older boys leaned threateningly over him. _

_Riku remained unfazed ''You heard me-you're just full of big talk. Anyone could have that sort of problem one way or another. Last I heard, he's learned that magic by himself. And he's still trying to figure out whatever the problem is he's facing now. Can you even say you'd pull something like that off?'' He scoffed at the lack of response. ''Yeah, that's what I thought. You're just a pair of weaklings who think they're something special by throwing their weight around but that means is that you're very small inside.''_

_Naturally, the boys weren't about to take that well. Within seconds, they charged to attack Riku. The boy swiftly tripped one up and kicked him in the side, turning back in time to grab the other bully's arm and do a half-spin, tossing him onto his friend. _

_''I think that proves my point. Would you look at that, I didn't need any magic either.'' His eyes narrowed. ''Now beat it before I go against my better judgement and pay you back for real.''_

_The two boys recoiled at this, quickly hurrying away. Levy and Elfman watched in wonder and curiosity. Riku was a new addition to the guild and he often kept to himself. They'd only had brief encounters with him so far so neither knew what to make of him. Makarov mentioned that he just needed time to acclimate himself to his new home. It looked like their master might have been right..._

_''That was great!'' _

_Riku blinked and looked back as a happy Levy approached him ''Way to teach those jerks a lesson!''_

_''It's no big deal-they were just getting on my nerves.'' _

_''I hear you but that was really nice of you to help. Right, Elfman?'' Levy looked at the aforementioned boy, who nodded and quietly thanked him. _

_Riku frowned for a moment ''...You were acting like that when those morons showed up last time too. Do you always freeze up like this? You're just giving fuel to the fire by listening to them.''_

_''B-but they were right..it's pathetic that I keep having trouble with my magic...'' Elfman mumbled. _

_Riku gave him a hard look ''The only way that would be true is if you let it be. You want things to change? Then do something about it.'' The former's eyes widened at his firm tone. ''Hard as it may be, if you feel strongly about it then you can make it happen. Whining about it and taking that sort of treatment lying down is about one of the worst things you can do.''_

_Levy and Elfman watched as he walked away, the girl speaking up after a moment ''I...wouldn't have put it that way but he's right. Remember what Master told us about the power of feelings, of our hearts? Just think about it, okay?''_

* * *

''Wow, that's...to the point...'' Lucy blinked when Levy finished retelling the event. She had heard of how Riku kept to himself. There were times when she'd noticed how direct and blunt he could be but it seemed that was even more the case when he was younger.

She laughed a bit ''Yeah, Riku was a lot more blunt than you'd expect looking at him now. That attitude shows up plenty when he's in a bad mood. We figured he means well though so most of us just got used to it. He was gentle to us even when he hardly knew anyone here.''

Cana nodded, being gentle didn't always mean you had to be soft, sometimes you had to be harsh for the good of others ''If anything, I got a lot of respect for him coming out the way he did after all that's happened-come on, staying around that damn lizard definitely didn't do him any favors.''

Lucy had to agree there. She only heard brief mentions of Acnologia from her friends so far but none of them were good. Riku hadn't mentioned much of the past to her but given his awful mentor and what happened to his parents, she could certainly understand why...

* * *

''And then that guy actually tried to weasel out of paying us and said we were too wild! Can you believe it?'' Elfman sounded scandalized as he put a piece of timber up right. ''I mean, we were Manly to get rid of those monsters-how can he not see that?''

Riku placed the timber in his hands down before answering 'Tell me I'm crazy but seeing as half the street got demolished along with a part of his house, somehow his concerns make sense.'

Some of those nearby were left amused at this since Elfman couldn't think of a response.

Happy and Belle were talking nearby, the former telling the latter about something strange that happened yesterday.

''The lunch box appeared out of nowhere?''

''Aye, it was weird.'' Happy returned. ''No one saw who left it but it happened again today. Gray got mad when Natsu ate all the food both times since it was apparently left for him but Natsu says it didn't have to be.''

Belle blinked ''It has to be-why else would it have been left near Gray both times?''

''We tried to point that out too but well...you know how it is, once their tempers rise, that was that.''

She rolled her eyes ''Yeah, typical...wonder who's behind this though...''

If they had looked closer around the corner they might have seen a certain blue shadow watching Gray with adoration...

* * *

Laxus finished hammering a nail in the wall before looking at Makarov ''Hey, Gramps-hearing about you want to remodel the place is fine and all but it'd help to see some sort of plan.''

''Oh, I've got the schematics ready-pretty sure I left them with Mira.'' The man returned.

The blond decided to see for himself, finding the white haired girl nearby. As it turned out, she was showing Gray and a few others the schematics.

However, any thoughts of that being lucky went out the window when he saw what was on the paper. It was all full of squiggles, making for a picture that could've been made by a 5 year old.

When he thought about it that way, Laxus had a very good guess of the person who made the drawing. There was only one person he could think of who had such terrible artistic skill but could show it off anyway and it just happened to be the girl holding the paper up proudly.

''Oh this is a joke, right? Who's the idiot who came up with this?'' Gray was asking.

He immediately regretted his words as Mira's next reaction proved Laxus right, for she burst into tears.

''Nice.'' Laxus said sarcastically. ''You like kicking puppies too, while you're at it?''

''Hey, I didn't...! I mean, y-you're not an idiot, Mira!'' Gray cringed as he kept trying to apologize under the unimpressed gazes from those nearby.

* * *

''Hey, Riku!''

The brunet blinked and turned his head, seeing Bickslow walk over with his puppets trailed behind him. He glanced at Natsu and Happy, who were looking rather downtrodden nearby. ''They look like that one time when we got together to prank them. What was that about?''

Riku rolled his eyes 'They picked up a couple of new requests and they wanted help to convince the rest of the team to take them. I'm not going to deal with those kind of jobs or dragging the others into it-no way in hell.'

Bickslow arched an eye ''Okay, those jobs must suck if they get that kind of reaction out of you...''

'One of them involved hunting a pair of garuda who are roaming around a valley.' Riku stated.

''That doesn't sound so bad...'' The words died in Bickslow's mouth when he remembered something. ''...waaaait a minute, isn't the most sure fire way to bring a garuda out in the open...?''

'Yup, using live bait. A lot of them go after humans too.' Riku returned, seeing him grimace. 'Exactly. The second one's even worse though-word got out about some bandits going into hiding after they robbed a train. The problem is, they went into Avila Marsh.'

Now this one made Bickslow really question their friends' intelligence. Avila Marsh was a distant area well known for the dangerous plants and toxins they released, there were even rumors of a powerful monster living deep within it. It was a very dangerous place and many tended to avoid it if at all possible. Even Erik, who was immune to most, if not all poisons, admitted that he would not go there alone. Enough said.

''...Geez, no wonder you turned them down. They've gotta be out of their minds...'' Bickslow shook his head. ''...heck, you probably did them a favor. If they try to swing this by Erza, she'd probably kick their asses.''

'Also, Porlyusica's going to have their heads.' Riku pointed out.

''Oh, definitely.'' The seith mage agreed completely. The reclusive healer was the one medic the guild knew they could rely on for sure but her temper left many frightened. The fact that a good amount of the guild tended to fear incurring her wrath more than some of the dangers they faced out there spoke volumes.

'You know, there's something to be said on how getting her help can wind up being more dangerous than some of the jobs we take.' Riku stated.

Bickslow laughed ''No kidding, but that's Fairy Tail. You never know what to expect.''

The latter half-smiled, he was about to respond when a blur seemed to go past them. Riku blinked, while Bickslow cocked his head ''What the heck...?''

'Judging by the scent, I think it was Loke.' Riku informed, though he seemed just as puzzled.

''It's nothing too unusual.'' Erik stated as he joined them. At their questioning looks, he glanced in the direction Loke came from. There were Lucy, Natsu, Happy, Cubelios and Belle, all just as puzzled by this.

''Oh, that figures...'' Bickslow snickered. Loke always seemed to run from their newest member with the most freaked out expression any of them had seen.

Erza walked over ''Was that Loke just now?''

Lucy nodded ''I never got a chance to thank him for helping me out during the battle with Phantom but as usual...well, you saw that...''

''Yeah, Loke's being a complete weirdo again.'' Natsu stated, placing hands behind his head.

''Does anyone know why he keeps avoiding me?'' The blonde asked the group at large. For a while she assumed that she might have offended him somehow but he was hardly ever around her for much interaction to happen in the first place.

''Supposedly, he got in a relationship with a celestial mage that ended up badly.'' Bickslow offered.

She rolled her eyes ''Oh, brother...''

''I know, right?'' Happy shared her exasperation. ''This kind of thing is why we've all learned to never get involved with Loke's love life, it never ends well.''

Now that Lucy could readily agree with ''I hear you loud and clear.''

Erik glanced in Loke's direction, his expression skeptic. Was it really that simple? Something about Loke's reaction made him wonder. If it was simply a bad relationship, why wouldn't he say so? This seemed a bit extreme.

For a moment there, Erik had heard his line of thought, which really threw him for a loop. He had never seen or heard Loke so...frantic before. Strange...

* * *

Later, a number of the Fairy Tail, including Team Natsu, the Raijinshuu, Cana, Mira and Elfman among others gathered for dinner at Riku and Belle's place...

''So Mystogan left already?'' Belle asked Cana.

''Yup, apparently he wanted to wrap something up. I swear that guy can never take it easy...'' She shook her head. They all knew that the only reason Mystogan hadn't shown up during the war was that he had been taking down Phantom's allies around the same time. If it hadn't been for him, they might have had a bigger battle on their hands.

Belle had to agree ''Yeah, it would've been nice if he came though...''

''I know he's loosened up a lot but I think this might be a big step for him.'' The brunette returned.

Lucy looked curious ''You guys said something like that before-Mystogan seems nice though, was he all that different?''

''Oh, it's not that...'' Evergreen paused, wondering how to explain. ''...he was obviously a pretty decent guy. It was just really hard to tell considering how withdrawn he was. He used to cast sleep spells every time he came around and no one except Master, Laxus, Riku and Belle know what he actually looks like.''

''Oh...'' Lucy remembered hearing something along those lines. ''...why all the secrecy?'' She added, directing the question at Belle.

''Um...'' She bit her lip. ''...Riku and I found out by chance but we don't know why he's so insistent on this. He made us promise not to tell, we just trust that he has his own reasons.''

''Those two are practically the only reason he opened up to us anyway.'' Cana informed as Belle went to put her plate away. ''Riku was plenty withdrawn himself so I figure he'd know how to deal with someone like that. Come to think of it, Erza wasn't that different either...she still is in some ways.''

Lucy hummed thoughtfully and Evergreen nodded ''Riku really liked the guild's philosophy of living everyday to the fullest so he wanted to live by it. Erza had a worse time fitting in, so he wanted to help her too. I figure it made sense, he said he can't expect her to open up to others if he doesn't try to do the same.''

The blonde nodded in understanding, thinking that was perfectly reasonable.

The knight mage was sitting with some of the others nearby. As much as she was enjoying this get together, she wasn't even sure how it wound up like this. Erza admittedly felt bad since this wasn't really fair to Riku, who was still recovering from the curse. At least some of their friends seemed to consider that too, since they were more than helpful.

Even now, her old friend seemed somewhat weary but he was clearly having a good time too, which was a relief.

''You shouldn't overdo it.'' She stated, Riku looked at her curiously and she explained. ''We might have agreed to have this dinner but everyone would've understood if you didn't feel up to it.''

'It's fine.' He assured. 'It's really nice-having times like this after the past few days. I'm not at a 100% yet but I can manage.'

Riku appreciated the concern but he was used to feeling lethargic and somewhat drained after the curse struck. The dinner was pretty fun and he wanted to be a part of the proceedings. The last thing he wanted was to be treated as if he were made of glass.

'Anyway, you're not still sore about the fact that we wouldn't let you cook, right?' He asked, making her stiffen.

Mira also noticed her expression, thinking it gave enough of an answer ''Erza, that's a little...I think you've done enough, really.''

''Yeah, I don't think any of us would let you in a kitchen soon.'' Natsu stated dryly.

The redhead glared at this, making him quail and try to hide behind Cubelios, who gave a flat hiss at the reaction before pushing him forward.

Laxus rolled his eyes ''Grumble all you want, he's right. We don't need another fiasco like...what did Levy call it again?''

'The Wild Casserole Calamity.' Riku reminded. The event where that was created took place months ago but it still disturbed them. 'Levy said it was an unholy abomination of the worst order. She was absolutely right.'

Laxus, Belle and Cubelios nodded to this while Erza flushed ''I thought we wouldn't talk that again!''

''Well, we did agree that you really should consider working on your culinary skills so I think that evens it out.'' Freed reminded.

Erik gave her a dry look ''You don't even get to complain, Erza. A quarter of the guild hasn't been able to look at casseroles again for weeks without feeling sick.''

''Yeah...being around that thing was bad enough but her trying to force people to eat it is plain evil.'' Gray stated.

Erza grumbled, all right that day was one that still brought her shame and in retrospect, she could've handled it better-a lot better. She really didn't even want to think about it now.

Still, did they have to say this stuff?

'Even you admitted that it was one of your worst ideas yet.' Riku pointed out. 'Look at it this way, seeing as you didn't even know how it turned out like that, the chances of you messing up that badly again are slim to none.'

''...I suppose you have a point.'' She said at last. ''In that case, may I use your kitchen if the mood strikes me to cook again?''

'So long as it's with something simple, sure.' He returned. 'You do tend to get carried away. I'm not taking any chances-remember how long it took us to clean up after your last attempt?'

''Wait, that's...!'' The words died in her mouth as she realized he was right-again. Her last attempt had sadly also ended up in a disaster.

Gray watched them talk with a bemused expression ''...Does Riku even realize that he's one of the few who gets away with talking to her like that?''

''Nope, but you're right-if it was any of us saying that stuff, she'd try to kick our butts.'' Happy stated.

''Yeah, I always said Riku's got nerves of steel.'' Bickslow remarked.

The creation wizard snorted ''Ain't that the truth...''

* * *

The following day...

Mystogan had returned at mid-day. It didn't take him long to find time to talk with Makarov and Riku about something he had learned during one of his latest excursions. The subject wound up being a surprise that soon gathered plenty of attention. For Mystogan had somehow stumbled across something they would never have expected...

''You found information about the curse?!'' Happy exclaimed.

Mystogan nodded ''It isn't much but...one of the jobs I took before this mess with Phantom started lead to dealing with a historian and finding some very old records. One of them was exclusively about Dragon Slayer magic.''

Levy looked on with interest ''What did it say?''

''There was a bit about how Dragon Slayer magic came to be...the records were damaged but the client noticed my interest so he helped me copy some notes...''

''More on that later!'' Elfman interjected. ''What did it tell you about the curse?''

''Well, like I mentioned it isn't much...'' The masked mage cautioned. ''...and the client was still trying to learn how to restore the records, but from what I've found-this problem is centuries old.''

This left some of the listeners to exchange curious look but they listened to him continue ''Supposedly, Darkness Dragon Slayer magic has been feared even among dragon slayers for a long time. Many tended to avoid it after an incident...the pages that described what happened were half torn off but it's implied that one of the old dragon slayers caused some sort of terrible incident. There were mentions of a disaster, an outsider from very far away and a parasite.''

Makarov blinked as a thought occurred to him ''Wait, Mystogan are you saying...?''

The latter nodded ''Every darkness dragon slayer has suffered from the curse ever since.''

Riku's eyes widened at this, not even noticing the glances coming his way as thoughts spun fast. All this time, he had assumed that the curse was caused by his own weakness-that it was there because he couldn't take full control of his power...and now it turns out that curse was apparently a part of his magic the entire time...

The part about the parasite though...could that have to do with why he felt so drained after the curse got the better of him?

''Wait, Riku said that it felt like he was possessed every time the curse took hold of him. Like something was threatening to swallow his very self up.'' Freed mused. ''I'm assuming it was like that for the other dragon slayers-was there anything mentioned about them getting rid of the curse, Mystogan?''

Some, like Belle, Elfman, Natsu and Erza, looked at the masked mage hopefully at this. Their hopes were quickly dashed when he shook his head ''I'm afraid not. This is why darkness dragon slayer magic became so feared...the curse was said to have turned them into monsters. None of them stood a chance to break it. Riku is the first dragon slayer of his kind in over a century. Given the cause behind that...''

Erik scowled ''Yeah, it wouldn't surprise me at all if Acnologia pulled this off on purpose.''

Riku was thinking along similar lines. Actually, considering some of the things the black dragon had mentioned...yeah, he could picture his mentor knowing about all this the entire time.

''But...if there was nothing about a way to deal with the curse...'' Erza started, but she really didn't want to finish the thought forming in her mind. What could be done to help Riku?

Riku lowered his head, ignoring the murmurs of dismay and concern around him.

''There has to be some way...'' Mira trailed off, looking troubled.

''But it's never been done, right...?'' Macao said tentatively.

''So? That doesn't mean this is the end.'' Erik pointed out.

Belle felt her heart sink, she'd always known the curse was terrible but this just added a whole new scope to the problem. She glanced at her partner, wondering just what was going on in his mind now. ''Riku...?''

Riku wasn't quite sure what to make of this new information yet...but there was one thing he knew for sure.

He would not give up here.

Perhaps he might have taken this differently years ago but now...that was the last thing he wanted. Not after all that he had been through, not after what he'd learned throughout the years-he didn't want to just roll over and call it quits. There was no point lamenting this, he could only go forward...

'I'm not backing down.' He stated, determination clear in his eyes as he looked up. 'I refuse to just roll over and call it quits. That's why...I may not know how or even when I can do it but I'll keep trying...someday, I'll break the curse.'

The declaration came as a pleasant surprise to the onlookers, greatly relieved by this turnout. It was good to see that Riku's will still held strong against this predicament.

Makarov grinned ''Good, that's just what I'd expect from you.''

Erik smirked ''That's the way.''

''Yeah, you can do it!'' Belle beamed.

''Without a doubt.'' Mystogan stated.

''And we'll help you.'' Mira added with a growing smile.

''For sure!'' Natsu agreed.

''Aye Sir!'' Happy added.

Erza couldn't help but smile, admiring his strength of heart once ''...Absolutely.''

Riku felt content, glad to have them all by his side. He was more sure than ever than he made the right call. The young man didn't know how he would fare, if he would falter or even give up but he felt that the least he could do was try. He refused to simply give up or live in fear. He owed it to his friends, family and even himself to try...and one day, he will reach his new goal, ensuring that his curse will be a thing of the past.

* * *

_Well, let's stop here. _

_After all the action in the last few chapters, I wanted to just have some peaceful times here. I didn't really feel the need to go over Lucy's confrontation with Jude because it's practically the same as in canon. I'm thinking of having Team Natsu face him when he shows up in Magnolia later though, not sure if I'm going to use the idea yet. _

_Anywho, there you have it. Plenty about the curse is still an unknown but I'd just like to clarify that up to this point, everyone assumed that Riku's problem with his magic was kind of like Elfman's in that he just needed to get strong enough to assume full control. In a way that's true...but there's more to it. The curse is actually integrated with the magic itself. I intend to delve into the full origins of the curse later but let's just say there's a pretty good reason the records were damaged-someone out there really doesn't want the truth getting out. _

_Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy it. Till next time!_


	14. Chapter 14

_kpop 1392as: Thanks, I'm glad to hear that. _

_Prometo:Thank you. I didn't notice that typo with Riku's hair color before but his hair is dark brown. I think I went back and corrected it._

_I figure Acnologia can control energy or maybe even ethernano to a point. To answer your question, the dragon gods will appear if I find a use for them in this story. _

_I never actually watched Venom so your review made me curious and I looked it up. I see why you remembered it here. The alien thing here is well...different. The curse does affect the dragonization side effect of dragon slayer magic, but not for the reason you might think. I don't want to spoil anything but this has to do with the origin of the curse which I plan to delve into later. _

_I'm glad people like the different dynamics I've established here, I wanted to see if I could handle things differently with Fairy Tail somehow and it's really paying off._

* * *

Things returned to normal for Fairy Tail after all they dealt thanks to Jose's machinations. Unfortunately, that also included their jobs. To elaborate...

''Jeez!'' Lucy scowled at Natsu and Gray. ''I can't believe you guys!''

''Oh, just lighten up, it'll be fine!'' The latter returned.

Erza's eye twitched ''Natsu, you almost burned and froze the entire forest, _with us in it _I might add. Not to mention, you caused plenty of damage to go around with. I think she's perfectly entitled to be angry.''

Natsu remained stubborn ''Well we didn't, did we?''

''Yeah, only because Riku and Belle realized what you were doing first and stopped you!'' Happy countered.

''Okay, I'll give ya that but stunning us and hanging us up in mid-air out of the blue wasn't exactly that much of a good idea.'' Gray stated.

'I regret nothing.' Riku returned.

Belle gave the creation wizard a dark look ''You know, Laxus helped me work out a real handy lightning spell with staff magic. I've been looking for a chance to try it out-are you volunteering?''

''I'm good!'' Gray said quickly, picking up on the subtle threat in her words. Belle's tone warned him that his 'volunteering' could easily be enforced if she wanted it to. She may be among the nicest members in the guild but he had no intention of testing the cat's patience any further. After all, he didn't doubt that the others were likely be very willing to help ensure that he would be her next target.

The team's job was to gather a number of select ingredients for an item synthesis store. It was complicated for they had to be careful about what they choose and the requested items were scattered over a wide area. This wasn't helped by the fact that Natsu and Gray had somehow gotten into another fight, to their teammates' aggravation, leading to this.

Their latest fight closed off a small source that held two necessary crystals on the team's list. To top it off, they had no means to deal with the damage, so they would have to take a roundabout way to find another one.

Riku sighed 'Happy, any idea where do we go from here?'

''Hold on, I'm checking...'' The blue cat's gaze focused on the map in his paws. ''...good thing the client marked some locations...oh, yeah, I think I see one! Come on!''

* * *

The new area came with another complication, in the form of a huge worm like creature that kept digging around and creating numerous holes just before their destination.

Belle groaned ''Just our luck...''

''What's the big deal? Let's just take it out!'' Natsu exclaimed.

''Why is charging ahead always your answer to everything? The latest source we need is right there, fighting could just damage it and set us back again!'' Lucy pointed out. ''We don't even know where the thing is, remember?''

He couldn't argue with that point as they had no idea where the monster could come from with it being on the move like this. Even its scent was all over the place so he couldn't rely on that.

''Maybe we can flush it out,'' Happy suggested. ''If we can get enough of a read on it, maybe some attacks could make it come out.''

Lucy was skeptic ''It's not a bad idea but...''

'Hold on.' They looked at Riku as he stepped forward. He bent on a knee and placed a hand on the ground, closing his eyes then.

Erza realized what he was doing ''Ah, that would help...'' At Lucy's curious look, she explained. ''...Riku can use earth magic. At the very least, he can sense that worm's location.''

''Oh, I see...''

Riku stood after almost a minute 'We're better off staying right where we are. That thing dug a ton of holes all around here, the ground's pretty weak because of it.'

''Seriously?'' Gray grimaced. ''Can you take us to the source from here?''

'I can't create a gate to take us if I can't see the place.' He reminded. 'Anything else might as well mean we'd land in a mine field.'

''So what do we do?''

They stopped to think, Erza speaking up after a few moments ''Actually, Happy's idea wasn't half bad. I think we can work with it.''

'Yeah...actually, we may not have to attack it.' Riku stated, looking at Belle then.

The cat perked up as she realized what he was getting at ''Oh yeah-that could totally work!'' When the others looked at her, she added. ''We might know a way to help. Riku, can you locate it first?''

He nodded and looked at their friends 'We'll start things off, you guys hit the monster when we get it out.'

''Gotcha!'' Natsu grinned.

Afte r a few moments, Riku was about to pinpoint a general location of the monster. Belle swiftly requipped two staves and set them above said area. ''Two layered magic circle: Phantasmagoria!''

A pair of magical circles appeared as the staves shone. At first, nothing happened but all of a sudden, the staves flew back to Belle and the monster emerged with a loud roar. Natsu and Erza struck hard and true, taking it out at once.

''All right!'' Happy beamed.

With the trouble out of the way, Riku took them all past the troublesome field. A curious Happy looked at Belle ''Hey, what was that spell just now?''

''Oh, Phantasmagoria was one of the first spells we learned. It trapped that monster in a whole bunch of illusions that are supposed to be scary.'' was the answer. ''It's a basic spell which is supposed to help with the higher levels and it was perfect for this.''

''Yeah, staff magic is useful...''

Lucy and Gray went ahead and took the required ingredients from the source. ''That's everything. Come on, let's go!''

* * *

The team was able to finish up without preamble and so returned to Magnolia...

''We actually got the full reward money, all right!'' Lucy beamed.

Happy looked amused as she did a little dance ''A little over the top, don't you think?''

''Look at what keeps happening with us, I'm just going to enjoy this while it lasts.''

He had to admit that was a good point ''...Fair enough.'' After all, their history did speak for itself. ''Oh wait, where's Natsu?''

Lucy blinked, seeing no sign of him either. Both noticed Gray pointing behind them, his expression deadpan. There was the fire dragon slayer, half-slumped against the wall, his face pale.

''What's wrong?'' Happy wondered.

''I'd imagine it'd be the motion sickness-he had been subdued for a while.'' Erza offered.

Gray rolled his eyes ''See, what'd I tell you guys? Consistency of a wet noodle.''

Natsu gave him an annoyed ook but both were distracted when Riku helped the latter keep going 'Come on, shake it off. Gray, I wouldn't get all high and mighty with how you can't keep your clothes on.'

''Ah, crap!'' The ice mage freaked, realizing he was down to his boxers. ''When did this-?!''

Erza just sighed, they had tried to tell him earlier but it was really getting old. How many times did this make it for the day? She was sure it was past thirty.

Lucy decided to move things along ''I have to admit, I'm impressed with all the versatility you have, Riku. There's the dragon slayer magic, runes, staff magic and now earth magic.''

'I just wanted to learn as much as I could. I really focused on training to get stronger and better my control over my magic. I really got into and things just escalated from there. The earth magic was something I found out about by chance, though.' Riku added after a moment of though.

Now this was certainly unexpected ''Really?''

'It was just as we were getting used to farming. Master thinks I might have been taught by someone back when I was a kid but I'm not sure...if I was, I honestly don't remember.' He admitted.

''Well, it's still true that you've come quite a long way. You're making excellent use of your abilities and from what I've seen, inspired others to do the same.'' Erza added, sparing a look at Belle, who was nodding in complete agreement. This also included others like Elfman, Laxus and the Raijnshuu and even Erza herself. All of them were motivated to work hard after seeing Riku's drive to keep improving.

Riku half-smiled 'Thanks, I'm just doing what I can.'

Belle paused when she noticed that Happy was lagging behind, holding a box in hand ''Say, Happy, what're you keeping that for?'' She knew the box continued a fish he had picked up earlier and stuffed in Natsu's bag. ''I thought you would've ate it up before.''

''I thought we could go to Lucy's place and eat then. But then I remembered those runes...''

''You know there's a certain invention called a door, right?'' She drawled.

'Yeah, I'm sure you've heard of it. that's something made to let people in and out. Hate to break it to you but you have to do it like the rest of us lesser mortals.' Riku added, leaving the others amused.

Natsu and Happy exchanged wide-eyed looks ''But that's so boring!'' The first whined.

''Totally, we don't want to do that!'' The latter added.

''Well, too bad.'' Lucy huffed. She was once again very grateful to Riku for setting up the runes around her place. ''You're going to have to get used to it.''

''Luuucy!'' They whined in tandem.

The others decides to ignore their melodramatics, all agreed that Lucy was perfectly within her rights to ensure her home had some defenses. This was far from the first time the two complained about it were clearly going to have to learn their lessons the hard way.

* * *

Two days later...

Mira was working at the guild, waiting tables as requested, this being the norm for her. She frowned a bit upon overhearing Wakaba mention that Loke had come around and disappeared again. Many of them had noticed that the ring wizard was behaving rather strangely as of late but they had no idea why. Loke kept brushing them off with some empty words when they tried to check up on him and none of them had any idea what to do.

Once she paused to clean some glasses, she happened to overhear Belle talking to Cubelios about a topic that drew her curiosity.

''So what's this I hear about a picnic?''

The two turned to her in surprise. ''Oh, hi Mira. I was just telling Cubelios about how Erza went over the top yesterday. We saw some people having a picnic and she imagined having one of her own...''

''You mean like what happened over three years ago?'' Levy clarified.

''A lot like that.'' Belle confirmed. They all remembered the time Makarov suggested the guild get together for a picnic. It was quite a day.

Mira looked curious ''Actually, what happened around then, Belle? You were one of the group who left to prepare things, right? Happy once mentioned that Riku more or less salvaged the day but I never heard the full story.''

''Now that you mention it, I haven't either.'' Erik admitted, noticing how Natsu, Jet and Elfman were suddenly nervous. ''...What did the idiots do?''

Natsu took umbrage at this ''Hey, it wasn't me!''

Belle spared him a dry look ''Natsu, do you even remember what happened?''

''Erm, well...''

She rolled her eyes ''Thought so.''

''It was all of your faults.'' Levy reminded pointedly.

''No surprise there. Something like that was bound to bring up a problem...'' Laxus started.

Lucy walked by then ''Hey, what're you guys doing?''

Bickslow glanced at her ''Oh, good timing. We were just learning about Master's bright idea to get everyone over for a picnic years ago.''

''He did what?'' The girl said incredulously. ''That sounds like a disaster in the making...''

Natsu looked at her ''How do you know? You weren't there.''

''I don't have to be. Chaos and destruction come so naturally for this guild that gathering a bunch of the members and including them in something like this is asking for trouble.''

Laxus nodded ''That's what I was saying. Nice to have someone else with common sense. So let's hear it, Belle, what happened?''

''Well, like Mira said, some of us went to set things up while the rest got everything we need...'' The cat started.

* * *

_It had been a nice day out and many were enjoying the great weather. Jet and Riku were in charge of the supplies while the group of Happy, Belle, Natsu, Lisanna, Elfman, Levy, Gray and Erza had come to help set things up. _

_For a while it looked like things were actually going to work. Belle had no idea how it happened but she thought it started after Jet might have accidentally tripped Elfman with one of the blankets. A bored Natsu said something that got on both of their nerves and the chaos broke out. _

_The worst part was that their fight eventually involved the food, resulting in a good part of it being ruined. That was when Erza snapped. _

_''PREPARE TO DIE, YOU FIENDS!''_

_Gray grimaced at the harsh beating she delivered onto the three while a frightened Belle hid behind Riku. Levy and Lisanna cringed as the boys were sent flying while Happy shook his head, thinking they brought it on themselves. _

_Gray looked at Erza with exasperation ''I get that the idiots messing up the baskets sucked but come on, it's just picnic.''_

_''How can you say that?! This was supposed to be my first ever picnic and they completely ruined it!'' She exclaimed, glancing at the crushed food with utter dismay. All because those fools couldn't control themselves..._

_Happy frowned ''What a waste...''_

_Riku exhaled, going up and grabbing Erza's arm before she could hurt the boys again ''Come on.'' Erza blinked. ''Moping about this is a waste of time. Beating them doesn't do any good and you really are going overboard. We still have some of the ingredients, remember? Might as well see what we can use from those.''_

_''...I suppose...'' She said slowly. _

_But Lisanna perked up, liking the idea ''Come on, Erza, that sounds great-we can do it!''_

_''Are you really going to give up that easy?'' Riku prodded. Levy and Lisanna shared amused looks as they saw where this was going. ''You're going to hate this day if you back out now. What was it Master said? Living to the best of our ability? Well it sounds like we'd be doing a pretty lousy job if we drop the ball here.''_

_The observers knew he had her then there. Erza didn't even need to respond as her expression spoke volumes. _

_''...Hook...'' _

_''Line...''_

_''And Sinker.'' Happy, Belle and Lisanna remarked quietly. _

_''...You have a point there.'' Erza decided. ''Very well, let's see what we can do about this before the others arrive.''_

_Belle and Happy cheered while Levy beamed ''Sounds like a plan.''_

* * *

''Glad to hear I was wrong.'' Lucy admitted.

''Riku really did save the day, huh?'' Bickslow uttered.

''Yeah, I don't think any of us would've tried talking her down back then.'' Levy admitted.

Natsu harrumphed ''It would've been fine if Erza didn't overreact.''

''You're just saying that now because she isn't here.'' Bickslow pointed out, although it was true that Erza went too far. The teen grumbled in return but everyone knew the seith mage was right. ''Master would've kicked your butts even if she didn't so you know you're just kidding yourself.''

''True, very true.'' Laxus agreed.

''Oh, right! Lu-chan, I found this book yesterday-it's really interesting...'' Levy started.

Lucy perked up ''What's it like?''

* * *

A short while later, a few of the girls gathered at the bar with Mira...

Cana raised an eye at Lucy ''You want to take Riku to a party?''

Evergreen looked curious ''Start from the beginning-what's this about, Lucy?''

''I got a letter from one of Mama's old acquaintances.'' The blonde started to explain. ''They were good friends. We didn't get to meet much since she moved away but she was always really nice to me. Apparently, it's her niece's wedding and since she would've wanted Mama to be there...''

''You're going instead for both their sakes.'' Evergreen nodded. ''So Riku's more of an escort?''

''Yup, there's been rumors about bandits in that area and she's getting worried about someone picking the day to rob her home. She actually invited me and sent the job request too, we'd basically just be keeping an eye out on things.'' Lucy went on. ''So I was thinking, who could I ask for help that could actually do subtle? And well...''

''Yeah, not too many choices there.'' Bisca stated. ''It's actually a good idea. People might even wind up taking you guys for a couple so there's even less of a reason to suspect a thing.''

''Eh? Ah, I don't know about that part...'' Lucy looked flustered. A couple? That seemed a little...

''Wait, you can't do that!''

The four looked at Erza in surprise, not having noticed her arrive earlier. Mira blinked ''Why not? It is a good choice. You know as well as I do that Riku would be an excellent choice. They could even have Belle watch their backs and if they catch the bandits all the better.''

''Well, that's...'' Erza regretted her outburst. Mira was right, the reasoning made a lot of sense. The words had left her mouth before she even knew it but...a part of her didn't want Riku going on this job...strangely enough, she didn't know why.

Evergreen smirked ''Yeah, why don't you want them to go?''

The redhead tried to think fast, not wanting to admit how this was making her feel ''Riku's mute, what if they make fun of him because of it?''

Lucy crossed her arms, a hard expression settling on her face at the thought ''If anyone dares, I won't let them get away with it.''

''Also, Riku's no delicate flower-he can take much worse than a few idiots' words.'' Bisca pointed out.

''A-ah, yes but...''

Cana gave a sly smile ''Why don't you just admit it, Erza? You don't like the idea of them going together...and it would make for one hell of a date-huh?''

''Oh, just stop it-we're friends.'' Lucy huffed, not noticing Erza spluttering and her face growing warm at this. ''You're over reacting anyway, it was an idea. I haven't asked him yet.''

''I suppose you have a point...'' Erza returned, somewhat terse. As much as she hated to admit it, she wasn't pacified with that...

''Could she be more obvious?'' Evergreen whispered to Cana and Mira.

''I know, this is almost painful to watch...but hilarious too.'' The second added.

Mira giggled ''Well, I think they're sweet. Things will work themselves out...''

* * *

Lucy thought it over and in the end, she knew that Riku really was the best choice for her. She may have been growing closer to the others in the guild but many of the boys were boisterous and the thought of taking them worried her. Besides, Riku was the one she felt most comfortable asking for help here.

Erik could have been another choice but he had just returned from a job and was looking to rest. The thought of asking Freed or Laxus came to mind but she was still getting to know them so she had been hesitant but in the end, she tried anyway. The former admitted that they wouldn't mind but they were also going on a job soon...

'And you want me to go with you?' Riku clarified when she brought him up to speed.

Lucy nodded ''Please? I know it's a bit much but...well, you're the first person who came to mind. I don't think I'd feel comfortable with someone else and it's just a favor. And...ahhh, I'm babbling, aren't I?''

'A little.' He returned, amused. 'Well, you just had to ask. I've got you covered.'

She beamed at him ''Thanks!''

* * *

And so, the two went to prepare, bringing Belle into the loop. The cat was more than happy to help as well. They made sure to get appropriate clothes, not too fancy but also classy enough to fit in the party. Once they were ready, the three headed to the train that would take them to the city where the wedding was to be held.

Lucy sighed as she took her seat ''I never thought even leaving would be so exhausting...''

''Tell me about it.'' Belle looked exasperated. Natsu and Happy had been difficult about the whole thing, especially Natsu once he learned why they weren't allowed to come. Erza hadn't been pleased either for some reason but she was more understanding. She was the one rightfully point out to Natsu that Lucy's plan would be blown to pieces if it was left to him, ignoring his protests. Suffice to say, not one person took Natsu's side on this one. ''Erza was being weird too. I know we're a team but that doesn't meanwe can't go on different jobs sometimes.''

Riku took a small case out of his pocket before opening it and taking out a pill, swallowing it then. He grimaced a bit at the taste, this had been something Sara's husband Aaron gave him the other day. It was a remedy they got recently which could help with motion sickness. He had no idea if it would work but now was a good time as any to find out.

'I was wondering about that too. She just clammed up before but then she wouldn't even look me in the eye when I asked her...' He thought back.

''Oh, I've got a guess about that.'' Lucy smiled slyly. Even if Erza probably hadn't figured it out herself...''But I'll let her explain herself later.''

Riku gave her a quizzical look but shrugged 'All right, is there anything we should keep in mind about this job?''

* * *

They arrived a few hours later, heading to the client's home after getting dressed at an inn.

Lucy walked out of one of the rooms they had rented, clad in a pretty purple and silver dress along with matching gloves and flats. Her hair was done up in a fancy style with Cancer's help, the spirit also giving her a clip that matched her outfit.

Belle came out of the room opposite to hers a moment later, wearing a cream and yellow dress with blue lining along with yellow shoes. ''Lucy, you look great!''

''Aw, thanks!'' The blonde grinned. ''You look even cuter than ever. We're totally set, huh?''

''Yup.'' The latter turned back to the room behind her as Riku came out. The dark dragon slayer was now wearing a black suit, matching with a vivid blue shirt, a white tie and black shoes.

Lucy nodded in approval ''Looking good, Riku.''

''Totally!'' Belle chimed in.

He smiled 'Same to both of you.'

Lucy clapped her hands together ''All right, you two ready?''

* * *

It wasn't long before they arrived at Maya's place, a large mansion. It was fancy and clearly well cared for while also giving a warm and welcoming aura. The atmosphere was bright and festive, befitting the occasion that was to be held today.

Maya was a kind, middle aged woman with brown hair that went past her shoulders, whose face lit up when she saw Lucy ''Oh, there you are!'' She took Lucy's hands into her own with a warm smile. ''My, you've grown so much Lucy-chan, I hardly recognize you! It's good to see you're well!''

The girl laughed ''Good to see you too, Maya-san.''

''Thank you for coming, I was worried that you wouldn't have. I understand wanting to get away from your old life with what your father's been doing, especially lately...'' Maya knelt closer to whisper. ''...is it true he actually hired some Phantom Lord members to force you back into your old home?''

The three Fairy Tail members were surprised ''You know about that?'' Lucy clarified.

''Well, Brad works with the Rune Knights, apparently some of that bunch blame Jude for their guild's disbandment.'' She informed. (Brad was the groom)

''Oh-well, it's true. Fairy Tail stood up for me and pushed them back...it's finally like I've got a real family again.''

Maya, Riku and Belle couldn't help but smile at this. The first then speaking ''That's great. I loved Layla to bits but over the years I wondered what she saw in your father. If being in Fairy Tail makes you happy, that's what matters.''

Lucy smiled warmly ''Thanks.''

Maya paused ''Oh, I'm so sorry-are they your friends? It wasn't my intention to ignore them...''

''It's okay, we understand.'' Belle returned and Riku nodded. She was that happy to see Lucy after all all, it was good to see someone who cared so much for their friend.

Lucy handled the introductions and explained her plan. Maya nodded in understanding ''I see, that's clever. I won't say a word. We'll be counting on you.''

* * *

Things got off to a good start. Lucy went to greet Maya's niece Jeanette, congratulating the bride-to-be. After that, she and her teammates went about, acting as if they were any other guests around. They caught quite a few glances here and there, partly because of Belle but there were also few murmurs of admiration for their appearances.

''It's rare for our jobs to go on this peacefully, huh?'' Belle mused.

''Tell me about it, let's just make the most of this.'' Lucy returned.

A few people recognized the celestial mage due to her resemblance to her mother-who they were familiar with-and so came to exchange a few words. That when they realized that Bisca's assumption was actually accurate and people were coming to think of her and Riku as a couple. A few of them realized Riku's disability after trying and failing to get him to speak, leaving them to treat him with disdain. Lucy quickly nipped in the bud, pointing out that this behavior was disgraceful, stating that Riku didn't deserve and they should act in the polite and elegant manner of the high class people they believe themselves to be. The two stormed off in a huff afterwards.

''Good riddance.'' Belle muttered darkly.

'Thanks, Lucy.' Riku put in.

''It's not something to be thanked for, those two deserved much worse. I just didn't want to cause trouble and mess things up.'' She returned dismissively. ''It's horrible to make fun of people for something like this, they've got some nerve.''

'It's far from the worse I've heard.' Riku stated. 'Anyway, they said something a little strange, right? Something about other guild mages being here...do you think someone else took the job?'

Lucy frowned thoughtfully ''I don't know, Maya-san would've told us for sure...we better look into this.''

* * *

It didn't take them long to find out that there had been other mages. They were in fact...

''Whoa, you guys?!'' Bickslow exclaimed while Evergreen's eyes widened. ''You were hired too?''

Riku quickly explained the situation and Evergreen nodded after he was done ''Ah, okay-that makes sense. We were actually hired by one of the guests. He lives pretty close by. Since his home was robbed a couple of months ago, he's really paranoid and he wants some insurance that nothing would happen.''

''Pretty much. Gotta say, blending in is a good idea.'' Bickslow remarked. ''We wanted to do that too but our client was so loud that a lot of people must've heard him. Assuming they didn't recognize any of us.''

Lucy hummed in understanding. Riku was the most likely to be recognized among the three of them. But the change of clothes and appearance must have thrown them off as she had heard a few people mumble about how he seemed familiar but they couldn't place him.

'What do you say we work together on this?' Riku suggested to them all.

''Sounds good to me.'' Bickslow grinned.

''No problem here.'' Belle smiled while the other girls nodded.

* * *

With that, the group got together with Laxus and Freed, who also had no problem cooperating with their newly arrived guild mates. Since many of the guests were aware that Laxus and the Raijinshuu were working in the capacity of guards, they agreed that Riku, Lucy and Belle would keep a closer eye on the party and the guests, subtly fishing for information about the thieves.

''Oh yeah, that guy would be Ralph.'' One man told Belle as she talked a little about the man who hired Laxus and the Raijinshuu. ''He was always a bit of a worry-wart. I'm still not sure how his place got robbed, he's so careful. I know his home had some good defensive measures. Anyway, the authorities haven't been able to get much news on them but it looks like they're mages-or at least they have mages in their numbers. That must be how they got to break through.''

''Is it true that they're around these parts now? Seems a little strange to hold the wedding then.'' Belle remarked.

''Yeah, but it was fairly recent so this is just bad timing.'' The man shrugged. ''Still, Ralph may be paranoid but those four are some of Fairy Tail's best-everything should be fine.''

''True-Oh, thank you.'' Belle added.

''Not at all.'' He assured, turning to leave. ''Enjoy yourselves now.''

After a few attempts, Lucy was also able to find someone who could tell her about the thieves.

''Oh, that? Well, I know people dismiss them as rumors but they're not.'' A woman stated. ''I've seen results of what they can do, it shows they can bypass a lot of defensive measures. There's this famous bank over in Walla, it was shut down because this bunch took all it had. That place was fortified like you wouldn't believe.''

''Whoa, they're that good, huh...?'' Lucy began to think.

''Yeah, but it backfired on them, in a sense. One of the magical defenses got a trace of their signatures and that was used to track them to this area. The authorities are probably waiting for them to make a move-one misstep and that's it for them.''

''I see...'' Thanking the woman, she went to rejoin her friends, who were talking to Laxus.

The lightning dragon slayer nodded when Lucy told them what she learned ''That meshes with what we heard. We know they have some means of bypassing magical defenses and they're strong enough to deal with a lot of normal ones. Since they're definitely in the area, they're bound to come here sooner or later.''

Belle nodded ''This place would be a good target with all the rich people here. So what do you think we should do?''

''Keeping this pace should be fine.'' He responded after a moment. ''They know we'll be guarding this place but they wouldn't be expecting you three. Just stay subtle and keep a sharp eye out. Lucy, be ready to summon a spirit at the first sign of trouble.''

''Got it.'' The celestial mage returned. Yup, they could definitely do this.

* * *

Lucy had just taken a seat with some food in hand when she ran into Freed ''Ah, hello. If we'd known you were coming, we would have handled this differently.''

''Yeah, we were surprised to see you guys too...'' The blonde trailed off, Freed had been busy setting up traps for a bit so they hadn't run into each other before. It was a good thing they were so many guests mingling, they were hardly likely to be noticed now. ''...so hey, I actually forgot to ask Riku and Belle, there were some people talking about a harvest festival coming up in almost two months. What's that?''

''Right...it's almost time again...'' Freed's expression turned nostalgic. ''...well, I think you'd like it. The festival's an old tradition where the town celebrates springtime. Fairy Tail even takes part every time, there's quite a parade often.''

Lucy seemed intrigued ''Sounds like fun...''

''Oh, quite. Enjoying it with the guild is still a bit of a novelty for us too...'' Freed seemed a bit sheepish. ''...you know, because...''

''Yeah, I heard-you guys didn't get along with the rest of the guild for a while, right?'' It had been something of a passing topic in the guild but she vaguely remembered hearing that Laxus and the Raijinshuu used to be quite closed off and haughty, believing themselves above everyone.

He nodded ''It's not something we're proud of but...actually, the reason things changed for us happened around the same time at the festival years ago.''

The girl was curious ''What was it?''

''Well, I don't know if you've heard but Laxus' father was banished from the guild.'' Freed informed, this was news to Lucy but she let him go on. ''We still don't know what happened but it seems like a difficult topic for Master so none of us asked. Laxus didn't take that well and he felt Master put Fairy Tail above his family, but Master just saw them both as the same thing. We only learned this later but Ivan Dreyar is nothing but a scumbag of the highest order.''

Lucy's eyes widened ''What happened?''

''He attacked Magnolia.'' Freed's expression twisted in distaste. ''That time served as a wake up call for us. Everyone in the guild helped us at our lowest point back then...It was apparently some sort of twisted revenge for him on Master. Laxus still cared for him back then-he thought he could help but that lowlife turned on him too. He wanted to take the dragon slayer lacrima from Laxus by force.''

The girl stiffened, she had come to learn that Laxus gained his dragon slayer magic by that lacrima. It was unsual but not unheard of, she knew what the item being taken would mean. ''Hold on, but wouldn't that have...?''

''Yes, it could've easily killed him.'' Freed stated. ''Ivan didn't care, he was so determined to get what he wanted...he trapped Laxus with some magic but Erza came to stop him before he could do it. She fought him but was overpowered, in the end, Riku saved them both. Ivan was stronger but Riku tricked him, using own attacks against him. They were hurt badly but Master arrived in time to finish the fight. That was the day Riku lost his voice.''

''What?!'' She'd always wondered how that came to be, never could she have imagined this to be the cause.

''There was always a chance he could get it back but with the injuries Ivan inflicted...it's a miracle he survived that day.'' Freed admitted. He knew Porlyusica was looking for the means to heal the dark dragon slayer but so far nothing worked. ''Many of us took quite a beating, it served as some wake up call. Especially for Laxus, he told me Riku could have left him there-Erza was seperated from them in all that chaos and Riku could've been all right if he had left but he never did. They both made it because of that courage. Riku and Laxus were by no means by close but Riku did all that just because Laxus was a guild mate.''

Lucy felt her respect for Riku rise at that revelation. She knew they weren't even close to friends at the time but to think he had gone so far...no wonder they were such good friends now.

She was distracted when Freed suddenly stiffened ''...Someone just bypassed one of the runes I set up...''

* * *

While Freed left to see what happened, Lucy made sure to keep a fair distance behind him as she did the same, keeping her cover up.

The first arrived to see Bickslow trapped in a mound of earth, quickly noticing him then ''Freed! I noticed your field fall so I hurried over and the next thing I know, they sprang this. I'll be out in a couple of minutes, keep going, the thieves are just up ahead!''

''Right!'' Freed conjured a pair of wings with his magic and flew on. He noticed the familiar blasts of Evergreen's magic, taking out two burly men as he landed moments later. His friend was surrounded by more men but a few holding weapons attacked him. Freed brandished his sword, disarming them and taken them down with ease afterwards.

As he glanced at Evergreen, he found her surrounded by a number of stone statues. She huffed, the glow in her eyes fading as put her glasses back on ''What idiots...''

''O-oh, yeah?'' One of the few conscious thieves croaked. ''I wonder who the idiots here are, you think that's all we can do? We're just the vanguard!''

The duo's eyes widened at this and they immediately turned back towards the mansion...

* * *

They were indeed, but the thieves hadn't realized that Laxus had also noticed Freed's runes falling apart, which put him on alert. He quickly spotted the thieves his friends defeated, suspecting that there were more out and about. Wasting no time, he proceeded to look for them.

Around the same time, Riku happened to notice an elderly woman wondering where her rings had disappeared. This became stranger when a few other people also noticed some valuables of their own disappearing. Now alarmed, Riku carefully looked about, quickly noticing a strange scent. He tracked the source to a man who was walking away, his pockets gaining a slight bulge then. It wasn't noticeable unless you keep track of him but the man was clearly looking around evey now and then, as if expecting trouble. Since the man was already well out of his way among all these people, Riku thought fast and quickly signalled Belle. The cat nodded back and went after him as fast as she could.

Laxus was able to track more thieves down to the mansion, finding a few of them in an office, busy cracking a safe.

''Wha-why is he here?!''

''The others were supposed to...!''

A third thief growled ''What does that matter? Come on!''

He attacked Laxus with a dagger only to be swiftly disarmed and kicked to the side. A few others tried to shoot at him, with both magic and bullets but Laxus raised a wall of lightning to fend them off. With a snap of his fingers, they were electrified on the spot.

''Well? Where are the rest of you losers?'' Laxus demanded.

One of the thieves growled ''Like we'd tell you-you'll never catch us all!''

A few of the thieves who had seen this quickly ran out of the mansion, only a few of the present guests had seen them since the celebrations were held in the garden out back. They had thought they were safe but then slowly, most of them began to fall into holes.

''W-what the...?'' The thief Belle had been tracking down froze in his tracks, having joined his comrades moments ago. He had no idea how the holes came to be and it was likely he would walk into a trap at this rate.

He quickly spotted three staffs flying just above him, the next thing he knew, he was struck by bolts of blue lightning. Stunned, the man collapsed, finally noticing a smug Lucy watching from nearby, Virgo's key in hand. Belle was flying next to her, the staffs returning to her side in an instant. The thief's eyes widened upon realizing there was even more opposition than expected. But he didn't even get to warning the couple of thieves who did escape as they were knocked out by Bickslow's puppets.

The seith mage joined the two moments later ''Nice one, girls. Let's keep it up!''

* * *

Things kept going at a good pace. Only a few guests suspecting what was going on but the Fairy Tail group was able to convince them to try and keep calm with Maya's help, enabling them to focus on the task at hand. The thieves were clever and wily, but the team was just as skilled. Lucy was able to catch a couple of disguised thieves with Cancer's help while Evergreen petrified one who had been about to help them.

The others fared similarly well, Bickslow tricked a particular burly thief into thinking his puppets were useless, blasting him with beams a second later. Riku took advantage of his dragon slayer magic and the fact that it was night time to sneak up on a group that almost reached the mansion, taking them out with ease. Laxus and Belle decimated another bunch who Freed trapped with his runes, making sure to leave one conscious to get some answers.

''This is far too coordinated for a bunch of mere thieves-where is your leader?'' Freed demanded once the group had the thief surrounded.

''Like I'd tell you anything!'' He spat.

''You might want to reconsider that. No matter how you look at it, we've got the upper hand.'' Belle pointed out.

''It doesn't matter, I...gaah!'' The man didn't get further as Laxus struck him with a bit of lightning. ''N-nice try, I can take much, much more than that!''

Laxus gave him a cold look ''Oh, don't misunderstand-I could make you squeal like a pig if I wanted to. We know you're all coming from the forest.'' The man looked unnerved. ''It was freaking obvious, even if you try to confuse us. The only reason you're still standing is that the place is way too wide for us to search. So really, this might as well be a chance for you to get off even a little lightly...''

''Quit the bravado, you light mage types guys don't have it in you...'' The man's eyes widened when the ground was struck by a strong bolt of lightning, seeing Laxus gather another one with ease.

''Do you really want to test me?''

''You're not getting out of this, no matter what. We're going to get our answers.'' Freed stated.

''You guys are in way over your heads,'' Bickslow grinned, making the man growl.

He fidgeted, seemingly trying to struggle against his binds. The man then happened to notice a certain door nearby where he knew some of his comrades were. Oddly enough, next to it was a big closet that seemed to be shaking somewhat. He gained a sly look ''You guys are so sure of yourself, huh? Seems like there's a lot you don't know...''

Despite Freed's runes restraining his movements, the man was able to force some magic out, summoning a gust of wind that struck the closet behind the team. The action seemed to make no sense until the closet was opened, revealing Natsu, Happy and Erza hiding inside.

''What?!''

A startled Natsu fell out and the thief then let out a loud whistle. As if on cue, the door to the room where his comrades were burst open and they quickly ran out. The team was understandably thrown off by all this but they tried to keep fighting back, but they were only able to stop a few before the rest escaped.

Lucy groaned ''Just great...''

''And everything was going so well too...'' Belle moaned.

* * *

Natsu, Happy and Erza could only avoid their friends' upset gazes but Freed wasn't about to let them off ''Well?''

Lucy's eyes narrowed when they didn't respond ''What's the big idea, you guys? I told you my reasons for taking this job. Why are you here?''

''...We wanted to come too...'' Natsu managed at last but he quickly realized this was the wrong thing to say from their expressions.

''Oh, that's it?'' Evergreen scoffed. ''Could you be anymore selfish? We actually had things well in hand before you three appeared. If we weren't distracted because of you, they wouldn't have escaped.''

The three couldn't argue with that as it was obvious the thief had useed them as a distraction earlier.

''You may be a team but that doesn't mean they can't go on jobs without you.'' Freed pointed out. ''Really, I expected this sort of foolishness from Natsu and Happy but you're better than this, Erza.''

''Hey!'' Happy protested.

Belle ignored him and looked at the knight mage crossly ''That's what I was thinking, Freed. What's the big idea?''

Erza made to speak but thought better of her words. Really, it had all been so ridiculous. Her earlier apprehension about this job wouldn't leave and with some at the guild teasing her, she found that she couldn't leave it be. Natsu wound up discovering her interest in the issue and his taunts over this were the final blow. They agreed to come and see it for themselves in the end, for Erza it was because she couldn't let the matter lie. It seemed like a good idea at the time but she knew her feelings just made her get carried away...

''...I won't make excuses.'' She said at last. ''It was a lapse of judgement and I sincerely regret it. I apologize for this trouble.''

The sincere words seemed to mollify her friends somewhat and soon Happy and Natsu gave their own apologies, though theirs were much more reluctant. No one really paid attention though as they had to focus on the matter at hand.

''So do we go look in the forest after all?'' Lucy wondered.

''No need.'' Laxus' voice brought attention to him and Riku as they walked over.

Some looked at them in surprise-Belle, who had seen them chase after the thieves by using their teleporting and lightning body abilities, spoke up ''Any idea where they want?''

Happy blinked ''So you...''

'Yeah, we tried to follow them.' Riku stated, looking at the others then. 'They did go back into the forest, a couple of them look like they have some sort of speed magic because they suddenly up and vanished. We lost track of them just around the time we saw the forest.'

''Also, Riku tried to sense them but they're out of his range. It looks like there's some sort of plan in the works, we saw signs of activity here and there.'' Laxus added.

''So what now?'' Natsu wanted to know.

''Well, we...'' Evergreen gestured to both teams involved in this job. ''...are going to sort this mess out. You guys are going to do what you were supposed to and leave us to it.''

''Aw, come on!''

The others decided to tune them out and stay focused. Riku began to think, perhaps the ability to sense malice he gained from his dragon slayer magic could be useful here but it wasn't exactly all that reliable. Also, odds were they'd have to wait for their plans to begin for that to work. He really didn't want to do things that way.

''Do you guys think there's some way we can narrow their location down?'' Lucy wanted to know.

''Not that I know of.'' Bickslow admitted.

The girl tried to think ''Freed, what about runes? If they allow you the kind of traps like I saw Riku use, couldn't we get something to at least try?''

Riku blinked 'She has a point-I know they can break through the runes with some of the magical items they stole in the past but all we'd need it at the most of a few minutes.'

''Hm, that's true...'' Freed placed a hand under his chin. ''...I think I might be able to work something out. Shall we see if we can come up with a plan?''

* * *

A short while later, after things were cleared up with Maya and Ralph...

Happy looked at the runes in the air ''Think it'll work?''

''I don't see any reason it shouldn't.'' Erza crossed her arms. ''Runes are difficult to set up but they offer an excellent versatility if used well. ''

The girl sighed, she wanted to talk to Riku and Laxus too but there was no time. Both were clearly preoccupied with this situation, though she wouldn't blame them if they were upset as well. She spared the grumbling Natsu an annoyed look. ''...would you quit sulking?''

''But I don't wanna just watch! I wanna fight too!'' He exclaimed.

That had been their friends' strict condition to accompanying them. The three were naturally allowed to defend themselves if anything happened but nothing more than that. Their friends wanted to finish the by job themselves.

''It's called a punishment for a reason, Natsu. Be thankful they haven't done worse, they're perfectly in their right to be angry.'' Erza chided.

''I told you things would go badly if we were found. You'd be mad too if anyone messed up a job for you.'' Happy pointed out.

Natsu never got to respond as the three were distracted when the runes flashed above them...

* * *

The thieves were in fact busy like it appeared. Their plan was to launch a magic powered golem they had stolen in one of their heists. Their original plan was to have it threaten the guests to ensure they could pull of their plan but now they wanted it to use it to not only make sure their plan worked but also to help their escape. With many of them not returning, the urgency of their plan was increased. Thus, they had finished much faster...

The golem was controlled by the leader of the thieves. It was a crystal like structure that was made to be very sturdy.

''All right, it doesn't matter if those mages got in the way, we can come out on top.'' The thief leader declared as the golem stomped its way through the forest.

''All right, boss!''

''Do it!''

''Teach them a lesson!''

The rest of the group called out, they barely noticed something flash in the sky around then. Moments later, the golem almost fell down in a hole.

''What the-?!'' The leader spluttered, seeing Virgo emerge moments later.

The spirit landed beside Lucy, who stood with Laxus and Bickslow a few feet before the thieves. ''Nice one, Virgo!''

''Thank you, Princess. May I ask for punishment?''

Lucy cringed a bit, she didn't think she'd ever get used to this habit ''No!''

''Ooh, she's that sort of character, eh? Kinky.'' Bickslow smirked.

The blonde groaned ''Just leave it-come on, we have to focus.''

The leader scowled, quickly noticing Riku, Belle, Evergreen and Freed flying above them. There were also Natsu, Happy and Erza standing behind the first group. ''How'd you find us?!''

''Oh, we have our ways. You might have gotten away with your thefts in the past but your luck's ran out!'' Evergreen declared.

He glared ''I think not. Go!''

The golem stepped forward, firing an area wide laser from its maw. Laxus inhaled ''Lightning Dragon's Roar!''

The golden vortex swirling with lightning quickly swallowed the beam, almost overcoming the golem and getting to the thieves. But the leader reacted fast, throwing something small that created a field of force which seemed to repel it.

''How'd they do that?'' Belle stared.

''I've heard of those-apparently someone came up with a way to infuse maginium with certain elements to create a field that repels magic. It's rather unreliable since the effect doesn't last long but it can be very effective if used with care.'' Freed replied.

''That must be how they got through the runes.'' Evergreen realized. ''All right then, Fairy Machine Gun: Leprechaun!''

The golem surprised them by firing some shards from its arm to block the attack. It then launched one of its arms, which flew into the air before rocketing towards them. Riku blocked it with his sword but it flew back a moment later, angling to strike at Belle then. The teen quickly created the makeshift platform to allow himself to float, thus giving Belle more room to defend herself. This allowed Belle to send the arm to the ground with a strong burst of wind magic.

The group on the ground found that the adversary was proving to be tricky as well. Not only could the golem detach its arms, the same also went for its head and legs. They could even all attack at the same time, covering a wide area.

Lucy had Virgo dig a few more holes before sending her back to the spirit world. She then swiftly grabbed Taurus' key and summoned the bull spirit.

''Moo!'' Taurus reacted fast and blocked the charging golem's head with his axe. ''Anyone who puts Lucy-san's nice body in danger is going to get it from me!''

He swung his weapon again, sending the head flying back to the rest of the golem. The weapon then stomped a foot, for a moment nothing happened but then Taurus was taken by surprise when massive crystal like shards erupted from the ground before him.

''What the-?! Whoa!''

''You okay?!'' Lucy asked as the spirit regained his balance from the blow.

''Absolutely!'' He gave her a grin.

Just then, the golem and its scattered pieces fired lasers in tandem. Taurus got Lucy out of the way. When it changed its angle and direction, Laxus defended them all with a wide wave of lightning.

Likewise, Riku blocked the blasts coming up on their end with a gate. He then threw his sword at the golem, opening a gate directly above the weapon so the blade landed in its head. The leader tried to make the golem remove the sword but Riku snapped his fingers, willing the magic within forth. His sword released a blast of darkness that repeatedly struck the golem before it was able to grab it and throw it away.

''All right!'' Happy exclaimed.

The golem tried to fire more crystal shards but it wasn't as effective as before. Belle proceeded to blow most of them away with an Ice Storm while Taurus fended off the rest with ease. Freed capitalized on the opening, breaking off one of the golem's arms with a strike from a sword boosted with power. The thieves recoiled at this, slowly trying to get away.

''Fairy Bomb: Gremlin!'' Evergreen aimed the blast directly at the golem's face, sending it reeling. Bickslow followed up with a Crumble attack, damaging another part of the golem.

When it got up to try fighting again, Riku blasted it a Dark Dragon's Roar and Laxus struck the final blow with a Lightning Dragon's Breakdown Fist, rendering it to pieces.

''Now that's what I'm talking about!'' Natsu grinned while Erza smiled.

''N-no way...'' The thieves were in shock. After all that, even their best weapon fell apart.

The leader tried to step away from the battle field. But before he knew it, a whip wrapped around his leg, making him fall. This brought his attention to Lucy, who frowned ''And just where do you think you're going?''

* * *

With that, they were able to capture the enemies. They quickly reassured the guests that all the trouble was over and the Rune Knights were called to take the thieves away. Many proceeded to thank the Fairy Tail group, inviting them to enjoy the rest of the festivities.

''Nice to see that everything's worked out, huh?'' Lucy smiled at Evergreen.

''Yeah...'' She spared the newcomers a look. ''...though we could've done without the interruption, all's well that ends well.''

''Oh come on, are you still mad?'' Happy took a bite out of a fish he picked up from a plate.

Natsu was also enjoying the food ''Yeah, it's all good now.''

''That's not the point and you know it.'' The brunette retorted.

Lucy gave her teammates an unimpressed look ''Guys, remember what happened with Macao? Everyone wanted to make sure they wouldn't step on his pride. The same principle applies here.''

''I...guess it does.'' Natsu rubbed the back of his head. ''It's not like we didn't think you guys could do the job or anything. We were just bored and...well, you know-it looked like it be fun but...sorry.''

The celestial mage exhaled as Happy also apologized ''So long as you understand.'' She paused, noticing what Natsu heaped on his plate. ''Oh, here.'' Natsu blinked at the drink she gave him. ''I've had that cheese before-it's revolting without a drink.''

''It couldn't be that bad...'' Natsu took a bite. His face soon contorted into one of disgust seconds later. ''...gah, what the heck?!''

''Told you so.'' Lucy returned as he took the glass and gulped the contents at once.

Happy looked curious ''Lucy, is this actually normal?''

''Yeah, it's just-you know-people do come with loads of ways to cook.''

''Also, not everyone gulps food while hardly inhaling it, you know.'' Evergreen added.

Natsu let out a breath ''That's better. You got anymore advice about the food, Lucy? I'll be counting on you.''

The girl looked amused ''Sure, sure, hold on...''

* * *

Bickslow glanced at Natsu and Lucy as they approached the buffet before looking at the others ''So hey, where's Erza?''

''Right here.''

The answer came from behind him, making him look back to see the knight mage join them, now clad in a beautiful blue dress and matching boots.

''You sure got into the mood.'' He chuckled.

''I thought it was only polite to dress appropriately.'' She returned primly.

'You look amazing.' Riku assured.

''That's for sure.'' Belle added.

Erza smiled warmly ''Why, thank you. You both do as well.''

As they all sat down to eat, Freed spoke up ''I have to admit, I'm curious-just what exactly could they have told you to make you come now?''

Erza looked flustered at this and Belle blinked ''Oh yeah, Happy said something about Cana and a few of the others teasing her about this job and stuff...''

''I can see that...'' He nodded.

This gave Laxus a few ideas of what could've happened ''You do realize you played right into their hands by coming, right?''

Erza slumped a little, she had long since come to the same conclusion ''Don't remind me...''

She knew her friends weren't going to let this go lightly when the news got back to them. To make matters worse, she still wasn't sure just what made her feel the way she did when she heard about Riku coming here.

'Well, they're here now. And they did apologize so it's fine.' Riku stated. 'Erza, if they do keep teasing you, you can just shut them down. Pointing out some of their embarrassing decisions always works, heaven knows you'll have loads of ammo.'

''True, or you can just scare them stiff with a glare.'' Laxus pointed out. ''I still haven't figured out how you make that work...''

The redhead felt her lips twitch at this, sparing them a grateful look. She felt herself relax as they fell into another conversation. This was another of the times that reminded her of how lucky she had been to find such a family. Even Laxus, who they hadn't gotten along with at all for a while, was now a good friend. How far they had come over the years...

Her eyes fell on Riku as he talked to Belle. They had met by chance but the redhead had to admit that she didn't want to imagine where she'd be without him. He was her best friend. Cana and the others liked to tease her over their interactions and she had yet to learn how to handle that, much to her chagrin. She knew this was the reason behind Riku and Laxus' advice.

Looking back, his compliment made her feel a lot better about her attire. It was a sign of how much his opinion meant to her. She wondered what that said about things.

Riku blinked as he noticed her eyes on him, giving her a curious look. She shook her head with a small smile ''I was just thinking...ah, never mind. Would you like to dance?''

* * *

_Well, let's stop here. _

_I debated on how to handle this chapter for a while. I got the idea for the party idea months ago but I just couldn't decide how to go forward with this so I hope this was good. _

_I wanted to show more about other characters like Laxus, Lucy and the Raijinshuu. It kinda seems like Lucy gets overshadowed a lot in canon even when its obvious that she should get a chance to shine. Figured I might try having some more nice childhood memories for Lucy to play with too. I'm not really good with romance and stuff but I wanted to try dabbling with it here and there. Oh and Riku only knows some basics about earth magic for now but this magic is going to come into importance later down the line._

_Ivan actually started on his plans earlier here and Fairy Tail foiled his first attempt over three years ago. This attempt and the consquences are going to be the focus of the arc I'm planning after the Tower of Heaven arc so that's when I'll explain just what happened. _

_Well thanks for reading and I hope you keep it up, till next time!_


	15. Chapter 15

_RedHood001: Wow, thanks a lot! Your review seriously made my day. _

_I know exactly what you mean about the OC just being there because I did something similar with my characters when I was starting out, you know? I've fixed it up but I like to think of this as an example that I'm learning and improving my writing. _

_I'm glad you like Riku being diverse in his magic, this actually gives me more opportunities to have fun with him so I went for it. His powers don't quite work that way though, you actually gave me a couple of ideas I could later on. It's really nice to hear how you like my version of Riku. _

_See, the thing about the curse...let's just say the reasons that lead to its existence happened before Acnologia's time. And he knows all about it, so he just took advantage of something that was already there by teaching Riku Dark Dragon Slayer magic. Like I said I plan to deal with the origins of the curse down the line._

_I know the truth about the dragons and...well, I don't want to spoil anything but I have that all sorted out for Riku. If he did get a transformation, it wouldn't be like Acnologia...erm, for plot related reasons. Like I said, spoilers-I've got quite a few surprises in store._

_I'm still on the fence about using the dragon gods in the story. Right now I'm waiting til more about them is revealed to see if I can work with this or not. Oh and about your question, of course you can send me ideas, I'd love to hear them. _

_Glad you liked the chapter, personally Laxus is one of my favorite characters so I was more motivated to try involving him here. I wouldn't call myself a brilliant writer, but thanks, I appreciate that-I just love what I do. I hope you have a safe, peaceful and wonderful day too._

* * *

One morning, team Natsu was just returning from a job. Everything seemed fine until they heard Erza cry out before she rushed ahead. The reason turned out to be that the cart she used to lug her usual amount of luggage was sinking into a quick sand pit. Lucy was alarmed when the knight mage disappeared into the pit, quickly summoning Virgo to help her.

Erza didn't seem to notice any of this as she bemoaned the loss of her things. ''Noooo...why?''

Lucy's eye twitched as Virgo lifted Erza effortlessly with her stuff sinking below ''She almost sinks into quick sand and all she cares about is that stupid luggage?!''

''It wasn't like it did much good anyway...'' Happy mumbled.

Riku sighed, his expression showing that he shared their feelings but he snapped his fingers and the barely visible cart was swallowed in a gate before reappearing next to them.

Then, it was like a switch flipped in Erza, her expression doing a 180 as she jumped to survey her luggage before proceeding to hug Riku ''This is great! Riku, you are a true friend!''

He rolled his eyes, his expression becoming one of fond exasperation. 'You better put it away. We don't need a repeat performance.'

As Erza proceeded to do so, Gray sighed ''Riku's the only one make her see sense. Why doesn't that surprise me?''

''Just be glad she's that good with requip magic, she'd probably make us drag this stuff with her otherwise.'' Happy pointed out, Natsu nodding in complete agreement as he had been thinking along the same lines.

''I can see her doing that too...'' The ice mage concurred.

''You guys might want to stop there unless you feel like testing your luck.'' Belle advised, subtly pointing out that Erza was within earshot.

The three cringed as they caught on, knowing that such comments would only bring them trouble. As it so happened, the warning was well timed as Erza and Riku walked over then.

The former blinked, quickly noticing their tense expressions ''Is something wrong?''

''Nah, ignore them.'' Lucy waved a dismissing hand. ''Let's keep going.''

* * *

The next day...

''All right, keep at it!''

''Nooo!''

''Yeah, you're doing great!''

Magnolia's square was as busy as a beehive today due to a certain event that drew many eyes. All participants were having a good time but some came to regret it, wishing they hadn't entered. They were cheered on by many, moans and cheers rising up in equal measures afterwards.

What was this event that caused such mixed reactions, you may ask?

Well, it just happened to be...

* * *

Gray sat among a number of his friends, many watching avidly. Since the guild's repairs were going well, they had thought to take a break. This really wasn't his idea of entertainment though ''All this commotion over an eating contest? That's lame.''

''Aw, don't be like that! They're all so Manly!'' Elfman exclaimed.

''I figured you'd say that, how come you didn't enter? It sounds like you'd be all over this.'' Happy remarked.

''He's probably learned not to challenge Natsu here.'' Cana guessed.

Elfman slumped as he affirmed that she was right ''...I am unmanly and unworthy...''

''Now, now-that's called being sensible.'' Levy corrected.

Riku nodded 'Cana called it right. Natsu can probably beat us hands down when it comes to pigging out.'

Gray had to agree there. As much as the creation wizard hated the thought of his rival defeating him in anything-he found that he really didn't care for this one ''That's one competition he's welcome to win...''

* * *

Levy let out a breath as she puts some books on the table before turning to Riku, who was putting a couple of books in the shelves ''Thanks for the help, Riku.''

'Don't worry about it. I never thought those runes you and Freed put up here would help make the place this tough.'

''I'm surprised too...'' She admitted, looking around the archives.

Fairy Tail's archive was at a low part of the basement. Given how a few incidents and brawls started here in the past, Levy had enlisted Freed to help her use some runes to enforce the area. It had sustained some damage after Gajeel destroyed the Fairy Tail HQ but considering the situation, it could've been much, much worse. Levy had enlisted a few of her friends to help sort things out here, she and Riku were the first to arrive.

''...it's such a relief though...I'd hate to think of something happening to those books, they're excellent.'' The girl added.

'You'd know all about that I bet, how many times have you read them now?' Riku inquired with a small smirk.

Levy puffed out her cheeks, knowing he was just messing with her ''That's besides the point. Anyway, I thought I heard Jet and Droy before, weren't they coming with Evergreen?''

'Well, Jet ran into Natsu and...you know how they are when they want to brawl...'

''Oh...figures.'' Levy shook her head in exasperation. It was troublesome enough when the brawls started but with people who enjoyed them as much as Natsu...

Yeah, that was going to take a while.

Levy decided to ask about something that had been bothering her ''Say, Riku-I'm not sure if the others weren't leading me on but did Natsu and Happy really convince Erza to go along after you guys last week?''

'They did. Though I still have no idea just why that worked...' He admitted. '...she thought it'd stop the guys teasing her but it really fed fuel to the fire.'

''I can see why. Though seeing as it's Erza we're talking about, that's never going to be a problem.'' The girl stated.

'I'll say...' Riku agreed and both thought back to how the knight mage stopped anyone attempting to tease her with a single incredibly frightening glare.

He stopped at the sight of a familiar book on a shelf, one he had read years ago. 'Come to think of it, we started getting to know each other the day you found me here, huh?'

Levy smiled ''Yup...'' She remembered how it started too.

* * *

_Levy had been busy reading a book that she had found by chance for a while. She hadn't realized how she lost track of the time until she heard someone walking about. Curious, the girl went to find who it was..._

_''Oh, hey!''_

_Riku looked up from the book in his hands, surprised to see her there. Levy smiled as she walked over to him ''You like reading too?''_

_''I guess...'' The boy stated with a shrug. ''...I don't dislike it or anything.''_

_''Good. You won't believe how many of the boys complain about being told to read a little something every now and then. It's ridiculous.'' The girl glanced at his book. ''A record about lost magic? Why do you want to know about this?''_

_''I use dragon slayer magic.'' He admitted, surprising her. _

_''You do? That's incredible!''_

_''Not really. Anyway, my teaching was...let's just say it was messed up. I figured finding some information about it could help me.'' Riku finished. _

_Levy seemed intrigued ''That's some good thinking...'' She blinked at the curious look he gave her then. ''...what?''_

_''You're plenty more talkative than the last few times I've seen you.''_

_She gave a sheepish laugh ''Yeah...it's just, well...''_

_''I guess Erza and I haven't given the best first impression after all, huh?'' Riku asked. _

_Levy blinked, not expecting him to just come out and say it. He was right though, Erza had been rather closed off ever since she arrived and only Riku seemed able to get her to talk much. The boy himself seemed quiet, but he made it clear that he was still getting used to being here ''Ah, kind of...I get that a lot of things changed for you two though. I know the feeling-it's not easy to adjust but this is a great place.''_

_''...I can see that.'' He admitted, eliciting a small smile. ''I can't speak for Erza but...I don't even remember the last time I've been in such a warm place.''_

_The girl was curious, she knew his family had been killed by a monster years ago but his tone made her suspect that there was more to his words than it appeared. _

_''We were told about Fairy Tail from one of Master Makarov's friends.'' Riku stated, leaving her curious. ''Grandpa Rob was really nice to us all even when...'' He shook his head a little. ''...when it was hard. He said he wanted to show us around but...he died just before we could come.''_

_''Oh, I'm sorry. That's terrible...'' Levy trailed off. _

_Deciding to change the subject, she spoke ''Well, we didn't know what to think of you guys but you're nice too. I mean you stood up for Elfman the other day. You even helped me and Lisanna when those bullies came back too.''_

_''It's no big deal. People like that just get on my nerves.'' Riku leaned back on his seat. ''I'm just trying to remind myself that things have changed now but...I like Fairy Tail. I'm not sure how to pull it off but I do want to get to know everyone.''_

_Levy perked up ''That feeling's the most important thing, you can make it work. We're always up to having more friends. You're being talkative now too, you know.''_

_He blinked, surprised ''Oh, I guess...''_

_She clapped her hands together ''Tell you what, how about I help you find this information? I've read a bunch of the books here so I think I can point you in te right direction.''_

_''You'd help me? Why?''_

_''Well, you've got me curious now.'' Levy stated with a cheeky smile. ''Let's get to figuring this out, shall we?''_

* * *

'That was the same day I found out how driven you are when you want to learn something.' Riku mused. Levy was one of the sweetest members of the guild but she could be rather intense on a mission. The difference was a little alarming.

''Well, what can I say? It was one of the most interesting subjects I got into in a while.'' The girl stated with a shrug.

Riku paused '...Isn't it kind of quiet now?'

Levy blinked, realizing he was right. They could hardly hear any noise coming from upstairs. ''Now that you mention it...did something happen?''

Elfman walked in, seeming a bit frightened. He was shortly followed by Evergreen, who closed the door with an annoyed huff.

''Uh...do we want to know?'' Levy asked meekly, their expressions left her unnerved.

''Evergreen went way too far.'' He mumbled.

''As if!'' She glared at him. ''I warned you idiots time and again. It's your own fault for trying to drag us into those ridiculous brawls.''

''You didn't have to scare us all like that! Don't even get me started on what else you did...''

''Want me to do it again?'' She interrupted coldly, making him cringe.

Riku and Levy shared bewildered looks '...I think this might be one of the times were we should go along and not ask.' The first decided.

''Agreed.''

* * *

Later...

Mira and Erza had agreed to show Lucy around Fairy Hills, the guild's dorm for girls. The blonde had been rather curious about the place-having not heard about it until a while after she settled in her apartment.

''Wow, that's big...'' She trailed off as they stared at the building. ''...so this place has actually been around early in the guild's days? You must take good care of it.''

''Oh, definitely.'' Erza returned. ''It's our home after all.''

''There's that and I'd imagine that everyone would be too scared of the dorm mother to cause trouble.'' Mira added brightly.

Lucy blinked ''The dorm mother?'' She noted Mira smiling at Erza then, which was when it sank in. ''...Go figure.'' Really, that made all too much sense after seeing how she enforced the rules at the guild.

The redhead cleared her throat ''I'm merely doing my duty.''

''Oh, but come to think of it-Mira-san, you don't live here, do you?'' Lucy wondered.

''No, no, I live with Elfman at our old home. I couldn't possibly leave him behind.''

The three entered the building and before long, Lucy noticed the strange looking door to the basement. It looked like someone had strung a collection of random wooden shapes leading to it before trying to make them more elaborate at the entrance. ''Okay, what...?''

''That'd be Laki.'' Erza informed, exasperation clear in her tone. ''I'm half certain she's doing this to mess around with us but she's absolutely insistent on leaving those all over the hall. She claims it's an artistic way of expressing herself.''

Lucy wrinkled her nose in distaste ''To each their own, I guess...''

''Well, it's not like it's doing any harm so why not let it be?'' Mira returned. ''So where do we...'' She blinked as a thought occured to her. ''...oh, but Erza-we should probably consider having Levy's room be the last place to visit.''

The knight mage paused ''Ah, good point...''

''What? Why?'' Lucy wanted to know. That seemed totally random to her.

''Well, knowing you two, you'd probably fall right into your favorite topic. We'd have a hard time prying you from Levy's library.'' Erza stated.

The girl blushed a bit ''Hey, that's not true! Okay, I'll want to spend some time there...''

''Right, and how much is some time?''

Lucy looked at the ground, avoiding the knowing smiles the two were giving her. ''...Can we just go?''

* * *

The girls found Bisca in the garden sitting with Belle and Cubelios. The former two were chatting amiably while the latter was reclining behind them, enjoying the sun's rays.

''Oh hey, you three.'' Bisca greeted upon noticing them, Cubelios offered a lazy hiss and a wave of her tail when Mira patted her head fondly. ''So you're finally getting the tour, Lucy? I never did get why you didn't come here after joining the guild.''

''No one told me about this place until I got my apartment.'' The girl stated with a shrug. ''I didn't expect to see Cubelios here-but I guess the no boys rule wouldn't have to apply with animals...''

''Ah, yeah but that's not why it doesn't apply with Cubelios.'' Belle corrected.

Lucy seemed puzzled at this but she could think of one reason for that ''...Wait, you're a girl?!'' She asked the snake, who nodded, tilting her head a little.

''I guess we forgot to tell you...'' Belle noted. ''...Hey, Erza-quick question, you didn't take her to Levy's room, did you?''

Erza stifled a laugh at while Mira outright giggled as the former answered ''No, we're making sure to leave that to the end.''

Lucy gave them an annoyed look ''Fine, fine-I love books, sue me!''

Mira patted her shoulder ''Sorry, we're just joking. There's nothing wrong with that. It's just clear as day that you and Levy do seem to lose track of everything a lot when you read.''

''Yeah, it's all in good fun, honest.'' Belle added, seeing Lucy nod then. ''Actually, I was just going to visit Ever. You should come Lucy, Ever likes reading too. She told me a whole bunch of neat stories.''

The blonde seemed intrigued ''Really? Like what?''

* * *

Around the same time...

Loke stood outside the guild building, taking a moment to marvel at how far it had come along. One thing you could say about Fairy Tail was that it was resilient.

He missed his friends, he knew he had been pushing them away but not without cause. It wasn't something they had done though-no, they were a wonderful group of people who had included him in their family. This issue was all on him. There was nothing to be done about it, he didn't want to involve them in his mess. Loke knew the time would be coming shortly, which meant there was only one thing to do.

Steeling himself, the ginger haired young man continued on his way...

* * *

Later that night...

No one could be sure why but it seemed like Fairy Tail was in a bit of an uproar. There seemed to be some sort of issue but with everyone rushing about, the people couldn't get a word in.

Aaron stopped near his home when he saw a familiar figure hurrying by ''Natsu!''

The teen paused and looked at him ''What's going on? You all seem worried.''

''Loke just up and left Fairy Tail!'' Natsu informed, surprising him. ''He's been acting so weird lately-we hardly ever saw him. Then he just showed up a couple of hours and told Gramps he was there to say goodbye. It's like he was just going to go away forever. His home's empty and we can't find any trace of him. Something's seriously wrong here.''

Aaron frowned, he and Sara had gotten to know a good number of people in Fairy Tail thanks to their relationship to Riku. They counted the boy as good as a son to them at this point and they were glad to meet his friends. Even if Loke was a flirt and a playboy, he was a good person and it looked like he was in trouble.

''All right, we'll help look for him. Just give me a minute.''

''Thanks!'' Natsu returned.

* * *

Levy looked at Cana, who was looking frustrated as her attempts to divine Loke's whereabouts with her magic failed again. ''No luck?''

''No-gah, what's that idiot doing?!'' The brunette cried in aggravation. Cana didn't know what Loke was thinking but there was no way they could leave things like this.

Both girls started at the sound of footsteps, pausing in surprise when Mystogan entered the guild building. ''Mystogan!''

''I heard what happened-any news?''

''No, we can't find any trace of him.'' Levy admitted. ''Master tried to get him to explain what was going on but Loke just wouldn't listen. Even the dragon slayers can hardly pick up his scent.''

Mystogan's eyes narrowed a little ''I was afraid of that...''

''What do you mean? You know something?'' Cana demanded.

''Staff magic can be used to track someone by using their magical signature. I ran into Riku a while ago and he told me he tried using that method to find Loke. It only worked for a few seconds but then the spell simply failed. It never worked after that.'' He explained.

The card mage frowned ''But why?''

Levy's mind was spinning fast as she remembered what she learned about staff magic. She knew there could be methods to try misleading that spell but they didn't cause this. The girl could think of only one reason for this problem ''Wait, you don't mean...?''

Mystogan confirmed her worst suspicions ''Yeah, Loke's magical signature is getting weaker and weaker. He's in danger.''

* * *

Riku, Belle and Elfman had joined Lucy upon learning that the girl got an idea to help find their wayward friend. One of her spirits, Crux, was a rather well informed being who was thought to be among the most knowledgeable in the spirit world. He may have something that could help them figure this out.

The others found that Crux wasn't nearly as reliable as Lucy made him seem. The reason being...

''Lucy, what's this guy's deal?'' Elfman demanded. Crux was in a deep sleep ever since the blonde summoned him, their attempts to wake him doing no good.

''I told you, Grandpa Crux is really old.'' Lucy stated with a helpless shrug. ''But just give me a minute...''

As the girl proceeded to wake the new spirit, they were joined by Erik, Freed and Bickslow.

''Lucy, could we have a moment?'' Freed inquired politely.

''We really need to talk.'' Bickslow added.

''Sorry, just hold on-we're looking for some info...''

''Yeah, this is related.'' Erik cut her off. He wasn't sure why the seith mage had gotten him to help find the blonde but this seemed important. ''Bickslow says he noticed something about Loke and he wants to talk it over with you.''

The girl looked back at them in surprise ''With me? Why?''

''Well, long story short-Loke's a celestial spirit.'' Bickslow returned.

* * *

''Whoa, what?!'' Elfman cried while the others stared at him in shock. What did he mean by...?''

Freed seemed to realize something then ''Don't tell me...you knew all along?''

''No, no, I just noticed something weird about him by chance so I confronted him.'' Bickslow returned. ''Lucy, my magic lets me see souls-something about Loke's was always strange. He didn't want to tell me but I couldn't just leave it. We had a couple of arguments about it but he finally explained after making me promise to keep it a secret.''

'Wait, you think whatever's going on with him is related to this?' Riku wanted to know.

''Exactly. I was surprised to see a spirit even out and about like him but he told me it wasn't unheard of. I asked if he did go back to the spirit world sometime but he said he was staying in this world for his own reasons. That he couldn't go back, he never explained why.'' The seith mage returned, missing Lucy's growing alarmed expression at this news. ''When I asked him about celestial spirits actually coming and going from this world, he said they could stay for good amounts of time. When Natsu told us how Virgo showed up on her own, I figured there wasn't much to it.''

''No, Loke lied to you.'' Lucy stated. ''It's true that some spirits can come and go between worlds but it only depends on their power. Staying here for long amounts of time can actually be really bad for them, it could even kill them.''

Riku's eyes widened as the rest exchanged stunned looks 'What? But we've known Loke for years. He never went back all this time?'

Lucy could understand them not knowing a thing about this. She was the one with the most experience when it came to celestial spirits in the guild. Loke clearly intended on keeping the truth about him a secret-even when he had a close call with Bickslow, he had made him swear to keep it a secret. But why would he do all this?

She may have been taking a bit of a long shot with Crux but Bickslow's information gave her a starting point ''Grandpa Crux, you know the situation. Can you tell us anything about this?''

The spirit cleared his throat, his tone grave as he responded ''As it so happens...''

* * *

''That moron!'' Gray cried.

''Yeah, what the hell is he thinking?'' Erik ground out.

Crux had been able to fill in the missing pieces of the puzzle for them. Loke was in fact Leo the lion, the leader of the Zodiacs. Years ago, he had been contracted with a celestial mage of Blue Pegasus, Karen Lilica. Karen was a cruel mistress who cared very little for her spirits. She had two zodiac keys, that of Loke and Aries, the ram spirit. The two of them were very close and Loke always tried his best to defend his friend. They had argued time and again about Karen's behavior but the woman always dismissed Loke.

Fed up, the spirit decided to handle the situation differently so he elected to stay in this world. This way, Karen couldn't summon another spirit. Even if it was hard on him, he wouldn't let her hurt Aries again. Karen was furious, she came to tell him off more than once but nothing she said or did changed his mind.

Days passed and eventually, Loke decided to go to Blue Pegasus and see if Karen was willing to listen. But that was when he heard the truth-she had died.

Karen had apparently been unable to take the idea of being forced to stay like this and so went on a job. No one knew who her killer was but they had made off with Karen's keys, including that of Aries.

With this information, Fairy Tail knew that Loke's time was coming. If something wasn't done, he would surely disappear. They had been able to narrow Loke's whereabouts to a few locations and so decided to search them.

The group of Lucy, Riku, Erik, Gray, Belle, Cubelios, Bickslow and Cana had gone to a waterfall in a distant forest. It was the location of Karen's grave.

* * *

Loke knew this was coming sooner or later, but he still felt afraid. He tried to shake it off, believing this was what he deserved for causing Karen's death. He had broken the ultimate taboo in his homeworld and now he would pay the price...

''Loke!''

His eyes went wide at the voices calling him, whirling around to see the group coming to a stop. ''You guys...why...?''

''Are you really asking that after what you pulled back there? Everyone in the guild is trying to find you. We were worried sick!'' Belle exclaimed.

''If you're here...then you know...''

''Yeah, we heard everything, you idiot.'' Cana cut him off.

''And what the hell is up with you lying to me all this time?'' Bickslow demanded. ''I know you couldn't go back to your world but we could've done something to help you!''

''It didn't have to come to this.'' Erik added.

Loke's eyes were wide ''But...how can you even say that? After I killed Karen?''

Riku shook his head 'You were defending your friend. You took a stand for Aries' sake. There's nothing wrong with that.'

''Exactly!'' Lucy put in before he could protest. ''The situation may have turned out for the worse but you did the right thing. You shouldn't be held responsible-you did the only thing you could.''

''And we don't think any less of you for it.'' Gray stated, earning agreement from the others.

In any other situation, he might have smiled. What did he do to deserve people like that?

Loke lowered his head ''...I appreciate this kindness more than I can ever say.'' He exhaled. ''Do you understand the sorrow of a star that cannot return to the heavens? After all this time...I didn't want to get attached to anyone-I was prepared to die over those years but then I wound up getting to know everyone in Fairy Tail. You guys deserved better than me, that's why I didn't want to drag you into this. You know my sin, I broke the ultimate taboo of the celestial world. I'll die without complaint.''

''Don't say that!'' Belle cried.

''There's gotta be something we can do, you can't just...it can't end like this!'' Cana exclaimed.

But even as they said that, they were at a loss. What could be done to help him now?

'Can't we find some way to make sure you could go back?' Riku asked.

Loke merely shook his head, knowing he was exiled for eternity.

Lucy then spoke up ''No...Riku hit the nail on the head. I think that's exactly what needs to be done.''

Everyone looked at her in surprise as she approached Loke. Bickslow blinked ''You can do that? Wouldn't you need a key?''

Cubelios also let out a questioning hiss, wondering the same.

Loke began to fade, leaving them alarmed ''It's almost time...''

''I won't let this happen!'' Lucy cried, surprising him. Light gathered around her as she gathered her power. ''I'll open your gate, you can go back that way!''

''What?! No...'' He tried but he was pushed back by the power she unleashed then. ''...Lucy, stop!''

''Open, Gate of the Lion!''

''Stop it, this is too dangerous!'' Loke called out as he tried to approach her. Looking at their friends, he added. ''You have to do something! If she keeps this up, she'll pay the consequences!''

''What? What the hell do you mean...?'' Gray was distracted when Lucy tried to open the gate again.

Loke began to cry ''Don't, just stop-it's fine! Don't add to my sin!''

Erik wound up hearing Loke's thoughts in all the chaos, leaving him to stiffen as the truth reached him. Summoning without a key was already dangerous but trying to force one open in this situation would result in the summoner turning into celestial energy!

Lucy fell to her knees as a third attempt failed, making him call out ''Lucy, don't-we can find some way...''

''I'm fine!'' She cut him off, her expression pained but determined. ''I won't give up. How can I just let a friend disappear right in front of my eyes? If this is the kind of rule the Celestial World supports then I'll change it!''

Loke stared at her in shock while their friends hurried over. The next thing anyone knew, time seemed to come to a stop before a brilliant light blinded them, heralding a new arrival.

''W-what the...?!''

They could only look in amazement at the massive being floating over them. It was a mostly white and green humanoid spirit with an imposing figure, clad in a plate of armor and chain mail. He had pupil-less red eyes and an oversized mustache. The figure exuded power and majesty, leaving them to wonder who he was.

But Loke knew ''The Celestial Spirit King...''

Before anyone could process this, the new arrival spoke up ''Old friend, though I regret that it came to this. We who bear keys are forbidden from killing their summoners. You may not have been responsible for your summoner's death directly but your actions did lead to this turn of events. That is your sin. Thus, you know the law.''

Loke was about to agree but Lucy stood, glaring at the king ''You can't just...this is too unreasonable! Loke did that because he cared for Aries!''

''Yeah, what the hell? Since when is caring for your friends a sin?'' Cana demanded.

''Loke may be one of the biggest playboys out there but he's part of our family. I don't care who you are, we're going to do everything in our power to stop this!'' Belle cried.

Riku nodded, sparing the stunned Loke a pointed look as he added 'Loke's our friend, he's always done right by us. Fairy Tail never walks out on one of our own. It's sad that Karen died but he's been suffering for more than enough. At times, doing the right thing may be difficult but it's worth it. That's why we're all taking a stand for him.'

Bickslow verbalized the words for all to hear before agreeing completely ''We're not giving up just because of some ridiculous law, can't you see how wrong this is?''

''It's not like he had any choice-look at what that woman did. Are spirits just supposed to take that sort of crap treatment? Lucy got it in one. The law should be changed if it allows this.'' Erik stated.

''Exactly.'' Gray agreed. ''You can't punish him for being a true friend. Don't underestimate our resolve, we're willing to fight for this.''

Lucy smiled widely at them, she couldn't have worded that better. Turning to Loke, she spoke up ''We're all here for you. Don't go giving up yet.''

He could hardly believe his ears, here his friends even after all this, standing by him. They were even ready to fight the strongest spirit in his home if that was what it took to help.

And all for his sake...

''I understand your sentiments and I'm glad my old friend has such good people by his side but...this rule is the one I cannot change.'' The king informed them.

''Are you kidding me?! That's just...''

''Gray, stop.'' Loke cut in, stepping up. ''Thank you all, really...but I knew this was coming. I'm going to repent for my sin.''

''You just don't get it...'' Cana started.

Lucy grabbed his hands ''Loke, this isn't a sin. Dying isn't going to resolve anything, don't you see? You're one of us, that's why we all stand by you. Your death is just going to leave your friends sad. Not just everyone in Fairy Tail...''

She took her keys, willing all her power forth and in a flash, she called on all her spirits. Loke's eyes widened-how did she even...?

His thoughts came to a halt when a few of them looked back at him and nodded. Taurus gave a thumbs up, Cancer smiled and Virgo curtsied before they turned to the king, their expressions firm. They didn't speak but their stance was clear as day.

They wanted Loke to have a second chance.

Before anyone could react, Lucy collapsed to her knees and her spirits returned to their world. Cana and Riku helped her to her feet. She spared them a grateful look and addressed the king ''Please, you have to reconsider. Look at all that's happened so far, isn't this enough? Loke should get a second chance!''

The king let out a thoughtful hum, speaking up after almost a minute ''If you all would go so far, to even face me in such a manner...'' To Lucy, he added. ''...and you risking your life to summon all your spirits...for your bond and faith in my old friend to be so strong...perhaps the law is at fault after all.''

Loke's eyes widened at this but the king carried on ''They are correct, old friend. Saving Aries was an act of compassion, not a sin. I do not want the bonds you established to be broken...I will allow you return to the spirit world.''

The Fairy Tail group perked up at this, a feeling of relief settling with the news. They had done it!

Lucy smiled at the king ''Thanks a lot! You're amazing!''

He smiled back, glancing at the shocked Loke as he spoke ''Thank you...''

''Thank the guidance of the stars.'' The king returned, looking at Lucy and the others. ''It is what lead you to such a fine group of people. Do not ever forget this. You would do well to continue showing that their faith in you is well-founded.''

Loke barely even realized he was crying. He had been prepared to die today and now his friends had somehow pulled off this miracle...

He started at the sight of the king floating up ''Wait...!''

''I command you to become a pillar for your friends and live on. You are to be this splendid celestial mage's spirit.'' The king cut him off. ''There is nobility in valor. You have friends with the utmost significance, those willing to put all on the line for you. They are worth standing by. Cherish them all.''

''...I will.'' Loke replied through his tears. He most certainly will, for all of those who had tried to help in his hour of need. For Lucy, who had risked so much for him...he would definitely keep this promise.

Riku smiled to himself, glad that they had been able to help. Loke had proven himself to be a true friend.

_''Young dragon slayer.''_

He blinked at the voice which suddenly reverberated in his head. He turned to find the Celestial Spirit King looking right at him.

_''I can feel the power of the void that plagues you.'' _The king stated.

Riku stiffened as he realized the spirit was talking about the curse. Did he know...?

_''But I also sense your potential, you may be able to best it. It is not impossible. Be wary of the void, do not ever trust its power. Looking at you now, I believe this may be needless to say but remember the bonds you cherish. They will serve to guide you. Keep hold of the strength of heart that enabled you to come this far and do not lose hope.'' _The king advised.

Riku nodded back, though he was left with more questions now. Regardless, he was still determined to keep his vow. Someday, somehow, he would get destroy the curse. The king gave a slight smile and inclined his head before leaving.

''Riku?'' Belle flew over, having been the only to notice the brief exchange. What was that about?

He shook his head slightly and turned towards Loke, deciding to explain later. The spirit faced them all with a warm smile ''I don't think I can thank you all enough...everyone in the guild too. Those declarations...practically challenging the king and summoning all those spirits, you guys sure went and did some crazy stuff...''

''What, this? Did you forget who you're talking to?'' Lucy half-smiled.

''Yeah, looks like his memory's going away in his old age.'' Bickslow quipped.

''Seriously, we're Fairy Tail-crazy stuff are par for the course for us.'' Gray stated.

Loke chuckled along with the rest of them ''Too true...'' They started as he began to fade much more than beore. ''...the gate's open, I'm going back. I never thought this was possible...I look forward to working with you, Lucy.''

The girl smiled warmly as he left, a golden key floating to her then. ''Back at you.''

* * *

_Well, let's stop here. _

_What do you think? Originally, I planned to implement a different idea here but that one's going to be longer so I'm going to save it for the next chapter. I wanted to try one where they would just hang out together anyway. Bickslow did know about Loke for quite a while in canon so I thought I could try this spin on things. He didn't know the specifics about celestial spirits, though. There didn't seem to be a problem to him, he had no reason not to take Loke's word for it so he kept the secret. Loke more or less just shaded the truth a little to avoid much explanation. I figured with Fairy Tail being so close, they'd all look for a way to help Loke so this scenario came to mind. _

_The Celestial King's been around for a long time so he's seen what happened to some of the dragon slayers who lost themselves to the curse. Except he came to see that Riku may have what it takes to be the first to stop that. I'm not sure if I mentioned this before but Riku held out among the longest out of his predecessors, thanks in a big part to a whole lot of will power. After all, the seal wouldn't work half as well as it did if his will wasn't so strong. _

_I try to avoid fillers if I don't think I they add much to the story. The next chapter has an idea that I'm looking forward to trying out before I start on the Tower of Heaven arc. _

_Well, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. Till next time!_


End file.
